A Journey To Love
by Chelle-chan7
Summary: With Kuchiki Rukia! Fifteen guys all competing for the same heart! Who will emerge victorious? AU Plenty of RukiaxRandom pairings. Read and Review please. The transition has occured and it is now rated M for reasons. Was rated T.
1. Introduction

**Hello readers! Chelle-chan7 here to inform you that this is what happens when my friends talk too much about reality t.v. and stuff. This story is an inspiration from my friends and something to get me started on writing again. So please be supportive! **

**Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Bleach! **

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"Hey! Kuchiki Rukia here to talk about my new show, 'A Journey To Love'! As all of you know, it's been a year since Ashido and I broke up and I'm pretty positive that I am ready to date again. This is where the show comes in! The creators of 'Are You In Love With Me?', have taken an interest and offered me my own reality t.v. show to help me find the one. Fifteen guys will be competing for my affections and of course only one will be victorious in the end. So join me next week as I go on my journey to love. I'm not really expecting much from this, but I guess it'll be fun to meet new people!"

**The Kuchikis **

Kuchiki Byakuya

Age- 31

Occupation- Head of Kuchiki Corp.

Brief- Most successful, well-known business man in Japan. Though cold and strict, he cares deeply for his sister's happiness along with the happiness of his late wife, Hisana.

...

Kuchiki Rukia

Age- 22

Occupation- Majoring in Business/minoring in Art

Brief- The lonely heiress that's next to run Kuchiki Corp. Loves all arts: sketching, music, acting, dance, etc. Big obsession with Chappy the Bunny products.

* * *

**The Contestants (A-Z)**

Abarai Renji

Age- 24

Occupation- Studying Digital Media/Photography

Brief- Fun-loving procrastinator. Enjoys sleeping-in and partying, but always makes his deadlines (just barely).

...

Asano Keigo

Age- 23

Occupation- College drop-out/fast-food worker

Brief- Slacker, barely even made it through high school. Couldn't handle college. Basic pervert.

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Ayasegawa Yumichika

Age- 25

Occupation- Stylist (hair/make-up, etc.)

Brief- Loves everything beautiful such as Rukia and himself.

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Hirako Shinji

Age- 25

Occupation- Majored in Dramatic Arts/Theatre

Brief- Quite cheerful yet can be very cruel at times. Struggling acting career.

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Hisagi Shuuhei

Age- 24

Occupation- Fitness instructor

Brief- Well known for his quick workout results. Loves to party and live life to the fullest.

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Hitsugaya Toushirou

Age- 22

Occupation- Law student

Brief- Child prodigy. Graduated high school at age 15. Nearing his final years of Law school. Though often calm, cool, and collected, he has a bad temper especially when dealing with his height.

...

Ichimaru Gin

Age- 27

Occupation- Successful business man of Las Noches Inc.

Brief- Often creeps people out with his "perma-grin". Claims to look up to Kuchiki Byakuya. Loves to play "games".

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Jeagerjaques Grimmjow

Age- 26

Occupation- Professional wrestler

Brief- Very temperamental and aggressive. Adores getting into fights and has a tendency to get carried away during his matches. Was often misunderstood and treated badly during his childhood.

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Jiruga Nnoitra

Age- 27

Occupation- Uhhhhh...

Brief- Very sadistic... enough said 0.0;

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Kira Izuru

Age- 24

Occupation- Accountant

Brief- Not very outgoing. Not very sociable. Not very exciting. Not even sure why he listened to his parents and did this. Oh, that's right! His parents would like to see grandkids before they die!

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Kojima Mizuiro

Age- 23

Occupation- Escort at Love Me Please

Brief- Flirts with many, many, MANY women (preferably older).

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Kurosaki Ichigo

Age- 23

Occupation- Med student

Brief- Seems to have a "perma-scowl". Got into many fights during junior high and high school because the color of his hair. Family and friends forced him to audition for this show.

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Madarame Ikkaku

Age- 25

Occupation- Army officer

Brief- Does his "lucky dance" before each battle. Enjoys fighting for what he believes is right. Admires General Zaraki. Been friends with Renji for a while.

...

Schiffer Ulquiorra

Age- 26

Occupation- Writer

Brief- His books are either horrors, tragedies, or angst. All of which are extremely popular. Cold attitude though he needs some inspiration to attempt a romance piece and find an interest in his life.

...

Shiba Kaien

Age- 27

Occupation- FBI Agent

Brief- Goofy, care-free guy. The Shiba clan and the Kuchiki clan have been friends for quite a long time. He's quite fond of the little Kuchiki.

* * *

Byakuya: **looks at list** "... are you absolutely positive that you want to go through with this, Rukia?"

Rukia: "Nii-sama. I've already told them yes. I can't take it back now."

Byakuya: "You're a Kuchiki... you can."

Rukia: "Nii-sama... no. I'm doing this. It should be... interesting... to say the least."

Byakuya:** looks at Jiruga Nnoitra's information** "... Ruk-"

Rukia: "-I know, I know. I'm prepared." _I hope..._

Announcer-san: "One beautiful young lady plus fifteen interesting bachelors equals 'A Journey to Love with Kuchiki Rukia'! Who will capture little Kuchiki-san's heart? Who's heart will she break? Will Kuchiki Byakuya actually allow this? Will there be any scandalous activities? Will there be more than one winner in the end? Tune in next week to find out!"

Byakuya and Rukia: **glares at Announcer-san **

Announcer-san: **sweatdrops **"Eh-heh... I mean... uh... just tune in people!" **runs away**

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**_Preview for the next chapter_

_"Just what the fuck are you lookin' at? Lookin' for a fight?" He noticed Ichigo's fists were forming in his pockets and smirked. "Carrot-top gonna defend you?"_

_Ichigo's scowl deepened. Not even five minutes of being there and trouble's already about to ensue._


	2. Episode 1: Meeting the Guys

**Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach. Don't own the AJPW Triple Crown Champion thing.**

**Enjoy!**

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"Mannnnn Ichigo! Can you believe we actually made it here?" cried Keigo as he and Ichigo got out of the limo.

"Shut up Keigo. I don't even know why I'm doing this," Ichigo said with his famous scowl in place.

They looked up at the mansion before them and were amazed. The house was built just for the occasion of the show and damn, did they go all out. It was the size of thirty houses put together and just incredible! Then again, they didn't expect Kuchiki Byakuya to accept anything less.

Mizuiro let out a low whistle as he got out behind them. "What I'd give to live in a house like this for the rest of my life."

Keigo slid over and put his arm around Mizuiro and said, "Yeah. Don't worry, when I marry the gorgeous Kuchiki Rukia, I'll invite you over to our mansion for parties!"

Mizuiro just rolled his eyes at his overly delusional friend.

Ichigo looked around as the other limos rolled in, carrying the rest of the contestants with them. Keigo and Mizuiro looked on at their competition and noticed that many of them were very intimidating. They immediately hid behind Ichigo, in which said strawberry just gave a frustrated sigh.

Looking around, they recognized a few celebs such as "Workout with Hisagi"s Shuuhei, the two-time AJPW Triple Crown Champion Grimmjow (a.k.a. Killer Jaggerjacks), and popular horror/angst novelist Schiffer Ulquiorra.

Grimmjow caught Keigo staring at him in which he growled, "Just what the fuck are you lookin' at? Lookin' for a fight?" He noticed Ichigo's fists were forming in his pockets and smirked. "Carrot-top gonna defend you?"

Ichigo's scowl deepened. Not even five minutes of being there and trouble's already about to ensue.

* * *

"Kuchiki-san, the contestants have arrived," said Inoue Orihime, one of Rukia's close friends and personal assistant.

Rukia pulled back the curtains to catch a glimpse at them. _Interesting hairstyles... _

Evaluating further, she saw the tension between two particular guys. One was the professional wrestler, Grimmjow and the other had orange hair, who seemed to be protecting a shaking brunette behind him.

"Inoue, I think we have a situation."

Orihime came by Rukia's side to see. After a second of observing, Orihime turned to her friend with a smile. "Don't worry, Kuchiki-san. I'll handle it. You just finish getting ready." She then quickly left the room.

Rukia looked back out the window to gaze down at the scene. Grimmjow was provoking, but the orange-haired man doesn't seem scared at all.

After taking another glance at the rest, she turned from the window and went to her jewelry box to finish herself.

She took out a beautiful butterfly pendant held by a silver chain. The butterfly was pure, white gold and had small violet stones outlining the wings. It was a gift from her deceased sister. Her sister had complemented her of how the stones match the color of her eyes and it was always Rukia's favorite.

Rukia held it to her heart for a minute before whispering, "Here we go, Hisana."

* * *

"Well come on, carrot-top! Let's see whatcha got!" yelled Grimmjow with a wide grin. Something about the guy just made the young man want to beat his ass all the way to the United States.

Ichigo, not one to give into a pointless fight, continued to stand there in front of the quivering Keigo. "Ichigo, you can't fight him. He's a champion!" whispered the latter.

"Shut up Keigo." He continued glaring at Grimmjow. "Why should I waste my time on fighting a fucking moron like you?"

A vein popped on said moron's head. "Why you!" and with that he charged towards Ichigo, lifting him off the ground by the front of his shirt. The boy wasn't intimidated but Keigo nearly wet his pants. Wrestler and strawberry were immediately nose to nose. "I'm gonna make such a mess outta your face that your mom won't even be able to recognize you."

Ichigo's amber eyes suddenly intensified at the comment and quickly brought his fist back, about to hit when at that moment the double doors to the house shot open.

Everyone's head quickly snapped to the doors to find a tall woman standing there.

She was a well-endowed woman with orange-brown hair and gray eyes. Her attire consisted of khaki pants, a low-cut pink blouse, and pink pumps to match. She had her hair in a messy bun with her flower clips to complete her look.

Keigo lost all cowardliness and proceeded to drool over the beautiful woman.

Orihime looked at Grimmjow and Ichigo. She frowned and asked, "Is there a problem, gentlemen?"

The wrestler looked at Orihime and abruptly let go of Ichigo, who dropped gracefully to his feet. Ichigo began dusting himself off and Grimmjow walked towards his limo buddies, as if nothing happened.

With a smile returning to her face, she began. "Welcome everyone! I'm Inoue Orihime, Kuchiki-san's personal assistant. Will all of you follow me inside, please?" Her eyes lingered on Ichigo for a bit before leading the guys in.

Grimmjow walked next to Ichigo. "Don't think this is over just yet, carrot-top," he spat.

Ichigo shoved his hands in his pockets, "Wouldn't doubt it, toilet-brush head."

Grimmjow let out a deep growl and started shoving past people to get to the doors quicker. Ichigo looked on, making an attempt to calm down after the incident. He heard a few snickers to his left. Turning his head towards the sounds, he saw a red-head with strange eyebrows and a bald guy with red-winged eyeliner, try to contain their laughter. Ichigo glared at them.

The red-head noticed his reaction towards them and held up both his hands in their defense. "Whoa! Easy, dude! We're not looking for a fight." He put his hands down when Ichigo's glare softened. He then held out his hand for a shake. "The name's Renji. Abarai Renji."

Ichigo looked at the hand and then slowly took it. "Kurosaki Ichigo."

The bald guy couldn't contain his laughter anymore and just let it out. "Man, Kurosaki, you've got guts! That's the first time I've ever witnessed a guy smaller than Jaggerjacks, stand up to him! And toilet-brush head? Fucking love that!" He wiped the tears from his eyes, and then held out his hand to Ichigo, "Madarame Ikkaku."

Ichigo shook with a quick "nice to meet you" and they entered the house.

* * *

The inside of the house was just as elegant as the outside. Velvet and satin curtains draped all over the place, making the large windows exquisite. There was a double staircase that rounded to the center with nice red carpets to cover them and big, professionally taken pictures of the Kuchiki heiress were hung everywhere.

The men were led into a special room where it was particularly lacking furniture with the exception of a throne-like chair put to the side of the entrance and carpeted platform stairs. They were instructed to sit on the steps as Orihime started with the evening's event.

"There will be a small party in the Sakura gardens this evening to help Kuchiki-san get to know you all better. Things like your names, hobbies, and so on. After the gathering, about a half hour will be given to Kuchiki-san to decide who will be going home tonight. For eliminations, please dress properly. It doesn't have to be a suit and tie, but a clean look will be expected."

Right then, a middle-aged man with a green and white striped hat came waltzing in. "The contestants, I presume, Inoue-san?"

She happily nodded, addressing the man by Urahara-san. The man looked around the room, noting that some of the contestants were creepy looking and only one or two actually had a smile on their face. He took off his hat with a grin and pointed it towards the entrance. "Then may I introduce the lovely, Kuchiki Rukia-san."

With that said, most of the guys stood up and the beautiful little Kuchiki showed herself.

She wore a cute knee-long, embroidered white skirt, a lavender tube top, and purple flats. Her bangs were brought to the side with a small white bow. The butterfly necklace that hung from her delicate neck finished her ensemble.

The guys took note, that Kuchiki Rukia could make the simplest of outfits look elegant. She let a small smile spread across her face as she made a small curtsy. "Hello everyone. Let's head out back now, shall we?"

Keigo had a mini Niagara falls flowing out of his mouth from the time she made her appearance. Mizuiro and the rest were also eying her up. They were all led out to the Sakura gardens to begin.

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Tables with food were propped up in every corner of the garden. There was also a small pond in the middle of the garden with a small bridge over it. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom on all of the trees. Benches and chairs with white cushions were placed around conveniently, whether in groups or separated.

Everyone formed their own groups and conversations began everywhere. Urahara, Rukia, and Orihime, stood at the door to the garden.

After a few minutes of observation, Urahara spoke, "Well Rukia-chan, you better go mingle with your many bachelors."

"That's right!" Orihime said with a bounce. She began pushing Rukia towards the gardens. "Shoo! Go find your soul mate!"

Rukia gave her a look. _Soul mate? Are you kidding me?_

A final shove and Rukia was off to pick a group to start with, while Orihime and Urahara stood there smiling.

"You think she'll find him, Urahara-san?"

Said man just took out his fan and scanned the scene. "I have a feeling that she will, Inoue-san." His eyes fell upon a particular man. His grin grew wider and he began walking back into the house. "I'm almost positive she'll actually find the one here."

* * *

The first group Rukia wondered upon, was the one that consisted Toushirou, Shuuhei, and Kaien. She smiled at them as she approached.

Kaien was the first to notice her and gave her a huge bear hug the minute she was in reach. "Well if it isn't my favorite Kuchiki!" Setting her down, he left his hand on her head. "I was just telling Toushirou and Shuuhei here about the first time I laid eyes on you at the nobles' picnic! Such a tiny little cutie and still is!"

"Kaien-dono!" Rukia's face was quite red at his words.

"Ah ah, Kuchiki!" pointed his finger. "No 'dono' business. Just Kaien."

She glared at the finger in a way that just made Kaien lift her up again, squeezing her tight to his chest. "You're so cute!" Putting her down again, he quickly kissed her on the cheek and ran merrily to get food.

Still red from all his actions, Rukia was finally able to talk to Toushirou and Shuuhei.

Rukia had recognized Shuuhei from his famous workout videos and praised him on how she even used a few when she thought she was gaining a little weight. Shuuhei smiled and said, "I find it highly impossible for someone as gorgeous and as tiny as you, to ever have a problem with losing a few pounds." He lifted her hand and twirled her around. "In fact, if you lose anymore weight, you might disappear forever!" This just caused the raven-haired girl to madly blush.

She was also interested to learn that Toushirou was a child prodigy. "Wow! I can't believe you graduated high school at fifteen and you've just got a year left of law school? You're only twenty-two, too! So young!" Rukia was over fascinated that she turned his face into a tomato.

She spent a few more minutes enjoying Shuuhei and Toushirou's company, laughing at Shuuhei's jokes and admiring Toushirou's intelligence.

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Kaien walked around a bit more after talking to Mizuiro, Shinji, and Nnoitra. The last, he couldn't even keep a conversation with for long before wanting to punch the guy's lights out.

He then came across Ichimaru Gin, who greeted him with his grin. "Why hello there, Shiba-kun. How are ya this fine day?"

Kaien forced a smile. "Fine Ichimaru-san. Did you catch up with Rukia yet?"

"Alas, not yet, but it seems that she's in my group right now."

Both men looked over at where said Kuchiki was and saw that she was watching Grimmjow demonstrate one of his special moves on poor Kira. Sure there wasn't much pain involved considering Rukia didn't want Izuru to get hurt, but it was still poor Kira.

"My, my. I better be off then, less I miss my chance to play with Rukia-chan. Always did love my thumb war games with her when passin' the halls to see her brother. See ya, Shiba-kun!"

Kaien looked at his retreating back. That guy always did give him the chills. Kaien felt hungry again, so he walked to a random snack table to find Renji feeding away.

"Ah, you're Abarai Renji, right? Rukia's childhood friend?"

Renji looked up at Kaien with a mouth full of cupcakes. They shook hands and began a conversation.

"So Renji, how did you and Rukia become friends?"

The red-head looked thoughtful for a moment before he spoke. "Do you know the city, Rukongai?"

Kaien nodded.

"Horrible place, isn't it? I was seven when my mom died of her illness. We were too poor to afford a doctor and of course, no money no service. I can't even remember a time when I saw my dad. One day, I escaped from the orphanage through a hole in the fence during free hour. I began wandering the streets and was hungry. When I saw an apple cart, I went to steal one, but the manager caught me. I kicked him in the face before running off with him behind me."

Kaien intently listened as Renji continued.

"I remember seeing a tiny girl as I passed her and then I heard the manager fall and was grunting. When I turned around, I saw the girl jumping up and down on his head. I was amazed, since I wasn't use to anyone helping me out and certainly never by an angel. We started talking and she convinced me to return to the orphanage. She was telling me that good things will happen to me. She gave me her address so that we could stay in touch through letters. About a month later, a man named Zaraki Kenpachi adopted me, so I really thought she was an angel after that. I couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful and heavenly she was. Every chance I had, I would go visit her. She was the inspiration for me to become a photographer, you know. Rukia showed me that there are good people in the world... and that you can always find something beautiful in even the worst atmosphere."

The look on Renji's face was one of contentment and pure adoration. His eyes showed that he was reliving the moment he met Rukia.

Kaien smiled and clapped his hand on Renji's shoulder, snapping said man back to reality. "Good luck, Renji," said Kaien in a near whisper, then he turned and walked off, leaving Renji blinking after him.

The Shiba noble was about to return to his original group, but stopped when he noticed Ichigo. The boy who was causing a ruckus with Jaggerjacks. He looked around and saw that Rukia was with Renji, Ikkaku, and Yumichika, being entertained by Ikkaku's lucky dance. Kaien looked back over at Ichigo, shrugged, and walked over to his group.

* * *

Ichigo was looking past the pond with his hands in his pockets, while Keigo and Mizuiro were going on with random crap about Rukia. He felt that his nerves were being over-worked, first with actually having to be there, then the whole Grimmjow thing, and ultimately trying to block out two idiots who couldn't stop talking about the spoiled brat, heiress.

"You're not one to back down from anything, huh?"

Ichigo looked towards the voice to see the dark-haired man. He noticed how this guy had a remarkable resemblance to himself minus the blue eyes, black hair, and slightly stronger build. Let's not forget the actual smile on his face too.

The man held out his hand. "Shiba Kaien."

"Kurosaki Ichigo," he said with a firm grip and an indifferent expression.

"Man Mizuiro, you're right! He _does_ look like Ichigo!" cried Keigo.

Kaien blinked at him, then took a closer look at Ichigo. He scratched his own chin as he examined the younger man. "Hm... I suppose there is a likeness. Though I don't think my face can frown quite that much."

Ichigo just growled and pushed the man's face away from his own. Kaien chuckled. He began talking to Keigo and Mizuiro and contributed to the praising of Rukia. Kaien noticed how Ichigo didn't participate at all whatsoever. Instead, said strawberry just seemed to be in his own world that laid over the pond.

Keigo tried to get Ichigo to join in, but he just punched the guy in the face and went back into his world over the pond. Keigo and Mizuiro began telling Kaien about how Ichigo was actually forced to audition for the show by them and his family. He was also informed about Ichigo's protective side which led him on instinct during the Grimmjow thing. When Kaien asked them why he was forced into auditioning, a short glimpse of sadness ran across their faces before telling him that it'd just be something good for Ichigo.

Bidding them farewell, Kaien decided it was time to return to his group. He took one last glance at Ichigo and walked off.

Not long after Kaien left, Rukia showed up to spend some time with them.

Keigo was over ecstatic to have his goddess by his side. He kept attempting perverted things, but Ichigo stood in his way with punches.

"Quit being a pedophile to the midget, Keigo."

At this, Mizuiro and Keigo gasped. Rukia looked at Ichigo in disbelief, then anger took on her features. "Who are you calling midget, strawberry?"

A vein popped for Ichigo. "Oh I don't know, maybe the three foot tall dwarf standing in front of me!"

"Three foot tall—why _you,_ statue of orange liberty, are too tall for your own good!"

"How's that, Rotwood?"

"Because! If you were shorter to a normal size...this!" she kicked him in the shin, "Would hit where the sun don't shine!"

With that, Ichigo was screaming profanities while hopping up and down on one foot and Rukia left since that was the last group.

* * *

She returned to her room where she was to decide on who to keep, though still fuming about Ichigo. Just then, there was a knock on her door.

"Come in," Rukia growled.

In came a grinning Kaien with things to tell Rukia. "How's lil' Kuchiki doing this evening?"

Her glare made him sweatdrop. He began talking to her about the guys that were getting ready for elimination at the moment.

He told her of how Shinji kept talking about his acting career and how he hoped to get some publicity from the show, Mizuiro's hobby of "collecting" girls, and Nnoitra's comment about chaining her up and fucking the life out of her. Her eyes popped at that last one.

The information on Toushirou, Shuuhei, and Izuru were all good. Grimmjow was a bone-head who liked to fight, Ulquiorra was just as scary and gloomy as his books, and Gin was still the same as the day they both met him. Ikkaku seemed strange, but a good guy no less and Yumichika just seemed to be interested in beauty and loved criticizing the ugly. Keigo was a pervert and he really liked the story of how Rukia and Renji became friends.

Rukia realized that one was missing from his report. She took a moment to think then asked, "You left out strawberry."

Kaien had a blank face. "He himself didn't talk to me much, but his friends informed me that they along with his family forced him to audition for this show."

Rukia's face grew red from anger and she spat, "Then he should go home if he doesn't want to be here. No one's making him stay here any longer than he has to."

The blue-eyed man gave her a soft smile before nearly whispering, "His friends say that it'd be something good for him."

The heiress' eyes softened slightly. "Why?"

He shrugged, "Dunno. They wouldn't say. That guy seemed a little strange from the start. Something about his aura, you know?" Kaien didn't miss the slight concern showing in Rukia's eyes. He smirked. "Well, I did my job, Kuchiki! FBI techniques and everything. Now it's time for you to make your decision." He kissed her on the head, then left her alone in her room.

She looked at the compasses and carefully made up her mind. Orihime came in to get her and they both went downstairs to the elimination room.

* * *

The men were lined up on the platform and anxiously awaited for the Kuchiki heiress to return to them. Some were sweating, some were calm, and some were just thinking the dirtiest thoughts.

Rukia entered the room with Orihime and Urahara on her tail, the latter carrying a suitcase. He placed it on the stand and opened it up to reveal shining silver compacts.

Rukia stood beside the suitcase and smiled at the boys. "Good evening, gentlemen."

"Good evening," they said in unison.

She picked up a compact and began to explain. "This suitcase contains compasses with the name and picture of the individual men standing before me. The compass, represents your place on this show. Should you not get your compass, then your journey with me has ended." The men nodded. "Another thing is that among you all, I had a spy. He was placed to tell me who was here for me and who weren't." The men looked at each other, trying to figure out which one of them was a tattle. "Tonight, four men including my spy, will go home. Let's begin."

One by one, the guys were called up to receive their compasses.

The ones that didn't receive a compass were Shinji, Mizuiro, Nnoitra, and Kaien.

Rukia looked at them as the four stepped forward. "Shinji. I know you are in this just to boost your career, but I am actually trying to find someone to start a relationship with." Shinji just gave a shrug and left the house in a nonchalant way.

Her attention then went to Mizuiro. "Mizuiro. I don't want to be treated as a 'doll' in your 'collection'." Mizuiro blushed at having his intention been found out by the Kuchiki heiress herself. He left with his head hung low.

A quick glance at Nnoitra just freaked her out, so she spoke to his nose. "Nnoitra. I don't want to be a fuck toy." Nnoitra just smirked and as he was leaving, he whispered something completely obscene in her ear. She screeched "gross" and had him kicked out by one of the body guards.

Her eyes then caught Kaien's ocean blues. He gave her a warm smile as did she. "Thank you, Kaien-dono, for your help."

Kaien came up to her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "No problem, Kuchiki. I'll always be here to help you." He pulled back with a grin, then turned around to the guys with his arm tightly around Rukia. "You listen here, fellas. This is an amazing girl, so you better treat her right. Or else I'll come searching for your dead asses." He winked at Rukia and then left the house.

Rukia looked around at who she had left and smiled. "Congratulations to you remaining men. Now, I will let you go find your rooms."

She left with Urahara as Orihime began to inform the guys about the rooms.

Urahara started fanning himself as they walked down the hallway. "So Rukia-chan, find anyone of particular interest tonight?"

Uninterested, violet eyes looked over at him before returning straight ahead. "I don't think so."

Urahara caught the slight doubt in her features and smiled. "Maybe tomorrow then, eh?"

"I guess."

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_Preview for the next chapter_

_"Okay, fellas. Are you ready to welcome Kuchiki-san's special someone?"_

_They all nodded, Keigo being the most eager._

_Orihime pointed her hand towards the hidden stairs that led up to the North Wing. "In that case, please welcome our special house guest..._

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**A/N: Okay, there you have it! The first official chapter of AJTL! Any bets on who the special house guest is? Hope you liked it! REVIEW PLEASSSEEEEE**


	3. Episode 2: Byakuya's First Challenge

**Disclaimer: Is this really necessary for every chapter? We all know the answer to this.**

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"There are three large bedrooms upstairs for all of you. The rooms are in separate wings of the floor with Kuchiki-san's room being in the north wing. Each room has three to four beds and you may choose whichever room that pleases you. Please choose your bedrooms in a nonviolent way," explained the cheerful Inoue Orihime.

While the rest of the men went upstairs, Ichigo stayed behind. Orihime looked at him. "Is there something wrong, Kurosaki-san?"

Ichigo shook his head and gave her a weak smile. "Just a minor headache. Kind of want to stay away from some of the noise for a bit."

Orihime just blinked a few times. When she first laid eyes on him, he looked a little scary and standing up against Grimmjow demonstrated her that he wasn't a coward, not in the least! At the moment though, showing even a slight smile, seemed to bring out a feeling in her. She clonked herself on the head and began laughing lightly. "I could take you to the infirmary if you'd like some medicine."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "There's an infirmary?"

"Why of course, Kurosaki-san! You can never be too safe! Come with me!"

Ichigo quickly looked over the lively assistant. Her bright and cheerful disposition reminded him of his little sister, Yuzu. She was turning into such a lovely young woman and Yuzu's smile always did remind him of...s_creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeechhhhh! _

"Kurosaki-san?"

Ichigo shook his head and focused on the girl in front of him. She held a worried expression and asked him what was wrong.

"Ah...it's nothing. Could you drop the 'san' though?" He cringed. "It makes me feel like my father's around..."

Orihime smiled and complied with an "okay, Kurosaki-kun" as they left for the infirmary.

* * *

The South Wing room was a dark one. It was the exact opposite of Rukia's room which was pure white. The walls were painted blackish gray and shaped into bricks to make it feel as if it was a castle dungeon and the beds consisted of one bunk and one twin single made with red pipes. Black also made the carpet and dressers, while red lamps were put on the side tables. The balcony was made from black iron and sheer red curtains were displayed over the door to it. The bathrooms of the house were all western-styled, so the South Wing room was decorated in black and red marble tiles and the bathtub, as well as the toilet, were shiny black. Ultimately, the room had a dangerous feel to it.

Ulquiorra, Gin, and Grimmjow decided that they liked this room and began to unpack their things.

Grimmjow and Gin were in a heated game of rock, paper, scissors, for the top bunk, while Ulquiorra was sitting on his bed with his notepad, jotting down ideas for his next novel.

Every time Gin won, Grimmjow would automatically scream for a higher number (Examples: two outta three, three outta five, etc.) Of course, Gin won nonetheless and claimed the top bunk to which Grimmjow was very irritated.

* * *

"Thanks for the medicine, Unohana-san," Ichigo said as he and Orihime left the infirmary.

Unohana Retsu, was the doctor for the infirmary of the mansion. Apparently it was built like a small hospital near the far left of the house. _These people really did go all out for this, _thought Ichigo.

He glanced at Orihime, then started to head upstairs. "Thanks for the help, Inoue."

The girl blushed and muttered a "no problem". She began walking to her room, next to the infirmary. Her thoughts were preoccupied with Ichigo. Shaking her head, she thought, _No! Inoue Orihime, you will not think like that! This is all for Kuchiki-san's sake! You will not interfere!_ No matter what though, she just couldn't stop thinking about him. How kind he actually was, that smile, how unbelievably handsome he was. Orihime let out a loud groan as she entered her room.

* * *

When Ichigo finally made it upstairs, Renji and Ikkaku jumped out of nowhere and immediately grabbed him. They began dragging him (by the feet) towards the East Wing with Ichigo's nails digging into the carpet on the way.

Keigo was about to go grab up Ichigo until he saw that. He gulped at the two obviously much stronger men and decided he'll just go to the West Wing with Izuru instead.

* * *

Within the East Wing room, Renji and Ikkaku plopped Ichigo down on a single bed. The orange-haired man looked up at the two grinning idiots. "What the hell was all of that?"

Ikkaku pointed towards Ichigo's suitcase and said, "We decided that you're going to share this room with us! Now unpack!"

Ichigo looked around.

It was a pleasant sky blue colored room as well as the carpet, holding one bunk and two singles, railings painted white. The dressers were large and subtle white with silver handles. Sheer white curtains were hanging over the door to the balcony and the lamps were silver and white, while the bathroom was blue and white. Basically everything just screamed serenity. It stated that the room was supposed to feel like it was in the sky itself.

Ichigo shrugged. "Why bother? I'm not going to be here much longer anyway."

Renji raised a brow. "Why not?"

"I just want to go home," he stated nonchalantly. "Besides, after this evening's event, I wouldn't be surprised if I were to be sent home in the next elimination."

Renji and Ikkaku looked at each other, then back at the orange-head in front of them. Renji asked, "What did you do?"

He looked at them, then shrugged again. "Called her a midget, three foot tall dwarf, Rotwood."

Their eyes bugged out of their heads as Renji screamed, "What the hell did you do that for?" and Ikkaku cackled, "You sure love to stir up trouble, don't you Kurosaki?" The latter rolling around on the floor as he commented.

Ichigo scowled. "Not my fault that she's sensitive about her height. Besides... she insulted me back and even kicked me! So I'm thinking we're even now."

Renji blinked. In all the time that he's known Rukia, he definitely knew that she didn't lose her temper so easily in front of strangers. At least not ones that she had to make a good impression for. Of course, he could be wrong. But hell! It took her at least three weeks before she expressed her true self and started beating him up! He chuckled at the memory, well to Ichigo's irritation.

"What?" he growled.

Renji just shook his head. "Nothing, nothing. Just unpack."

Ichigo's scowl deepened further. "I told you. There's no point when I'm going home."

Renji just turned away to resume unpacking his stuff, without another word regarding the topic. He'd like to think Ichigo was right, but the little thought that Rukia could have possibly slipped her composure to his competition made him think otherwise.

Ikkaku finally stopped laughing and started talking to Ichigo about battles and things like that. Yumichika entered the room with a blue-green facial mask on and his hair held back by a headband. He began his lecture on various beauty treatments that he's picked up while he was on his trip in Europe.

The other three inhabitants of the room sweatdropped.

* * *

The West Wing was like a jungle, where the walls were painted forest green with brown for the trunks of trees. Vines were hanging everywhere and the carpets were made to feel like soft grass. The dressers were golden wood and there were four single beds. The balcony had a sheer green curtain over it and the bathroom was light green and white, while the lamps had a golden stand with green shades.

This room belonged to Keigo, Izuru, Toushirou, and Shuuhei.

While Toushirou and Shuuhei were unpacking, Keigo began to complain to Izuru that he wanted to share a room with his buddy, Ichigo. Sitting there, Izuru kinda felt bad for Ichigo. So did Shuuhei and Toushirou, judging by the veins that popped from their heads.

Within the next minute, Shuuhei threw a pillow at Keigo's face to get him to shut up. Being the skilled instructor that he was, he actually knocked Keigo out. The three that were conscious heaved a sigh and continued with their activities.

* * *

Rukia's room was in the North Wing and just as large as the others, if not larger. Her walls were pure white, as well as her dresser, bed sheets, couches, tables, and chairs. She had a large round bed with sheer, light pink, blue, and purple curtains surrounding it. Her carpet was a swirl of these three colors as well. The room was filled with many stuffed animals, but mostly Chappy the bunny products. Her bathroom had a large jacuzzi tub and was mainly all white. There were red carpeting and draperies decorating and the handles were gold. She had a big, marble shower to the side as well that was outlined in gold.

Rukia stepped out of her relaxing bath, grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around her petite figure. She then went out the door to her bedroom only to find her ever so expressionless brother seated on one of her chairs, sipping a cup of tea.

"Nii-sama!" she shrieked, almost dropping her towel.

He looked up at her and set his cup back down on the saucer. Byakuya gave her a quick scan before quietly getting up and walked over to the balcony, shutting the glass doors as he stepped out.

Rukia stood there with a heavy blush on her face and raced into her walk-in closet. She put on a light green, spaghetti strap top and matching sweatpants. Dropping her wet towel in the hamper, she joined her brother outside on the balcony.

It was silent for a moment before she had the nerve to speak. "Um... how was the business meeting, nii-sama?"

"It went well. We will be closing the deal in three days." Byakuya glanced at his sister from the corner of his eye. "Shiba-san informed me of the contestants, including the one I had my doubts on."

Rukia grimaced at the memory of what Nnoitra had whispered into her ear. "Yes well... he was definitely one to leave. So... you don't have to worry about it." She looked over to see that he didn't seem too convinced. Then again, it was hard to tell at times with him. Always holding such a cold expression, but Rukia knew he cared. She loved her nii-sama dearly, almost as much as she loved Hisana.

He was quite a handsome man. Tall, steel-gray eyes, and a muscular physique. He currently wore a polished white suit, subtle blue dress-shirt, white tie, white shoes to match, and his famous kenseikan adorned his head of shiny black hair.

There was a soft knock on the door and a maid entered. "Kuchiki-dono, your room is ready."

Byakuya gave a nod of acknowledgment and turned so that his back was to Rukia. "I will begin my first test tomorrow. Sleep well."

The moment he left her room, Rukia plopped herself down on her bed with a sigh. Tomorrow ought to be one hell of a day.

* * *

The Next Day...

"Good morning everyone!" squealed one Inoue Orihime.

The only other person that was as cheerful as her, was none other than Asano Keigo. As he hopped up and down, he began an animated conversation with the beautiful assistant.

The others just wanted to shoot them for the loudness as they all sat for breakfast.

After calming down, Keigo took his seat next to Ichigo, and Orihime stood at the end of the table to begin.

"I hope everyone had a nice sleep last night! I know I did." _Yeah, because you were dreaming of Kurosaki-kun..._ Orihime's eyes widen as she threw that thought out of her head and continued. "Anyway, Kuchiki-san would like all of you to meet a special someone after breakfast today. So eat up and then join me in the main lounge!" Skipping away, made most of the men relieved. There should be a law against people being _that_ happy in the morning after all.

Breakfast went quite smoothly. Small talk was going on around the table regarding who the special someone might be.

"Maybe it's one of her friends. One of her hot celebrity friends! You know how girls like to get their friend's approval of who she dates!" Keigo cried as he began listing the names of celebs to Ichigo, who could clearly care less.

"It might be her fabulous designer! Or maybe her hair stylist! They're here to tell us what we should do for lovely Rukia-san, to keep her beauty living!" Yumichika supplied.

"Maybe it's her personal trainer. Heh, I'll probably wipe the floor with him," Grimmjow growled.

So on and so forth went the conversations until they all finished and joined up in the main lounge as instructed.

* * *

Everyone took a seat upon entering and Orihime stood in front with her clipboard. She tilted her head to the side with a smile. "Okay, fellas. Are you ready to welcome Kuchiki-san's special someone?"

The all nodded, Keigo being the most eager.

Orihime pointed her hand towards the hidden stairs that led up to the North Wing. "In that case, please welcome our special house guest, Kuchiki-san's older brother, Kuchiki Byakuya-dono!"

As Byakuya descended from the steps, Keigo's hopes shattered into a million pieces. Ichigo restrained from punching him when he felt Keigo's tears on his sleeve.

Byakuya took a moment to scan the room of Rukia's many bachelors. He recognized Ichimaru Gin from the business meetings he had to attend and Abarai Renji, from Rukia's visit to Rukongai. Looking around some more, he also noticed a few celebrities.

Orihime cleared her throat. "Kuchiki-dono will be a recurring guest here when he has time to spare from his busy work schedule. A big brother's duty is never quite completed, after all."

After his final inspection of the room, he spoke, "Today I will be conducting a physical challenge. Please go change into your most comfortable activity attire and meet Urahara-san in the backyard for further instruction."

Byakuya caught eyes with a scowling strawberry before turning his back on them and heading towards the dining room.

Ichigo was the last to leave the room with a sigh. _Heh... one Kuchiki brat plus one cold Kuchiki equals I _better _be sent home tonight..._

* * *

The guys were greeted by a grinning Urahara-san, when they reached the backyard. Urahara shut his fan and went onto his task. "Well everyone, as all of you know, Rukia-chan is quite skilled in the martial arts. Of course she's skilled, considering I taught her everything she knows, but that's beside the point."

Urahara noticed the surprised expressions he received from that bit of information. Rukia was always in the news about some of the local championships she had won in her high school years and he was the reason why. It also explains his relationship with the Kuchiki heiress.

He continued, "Regardless though, Byakuya-sama wants to make sure that whichever man Rukia-chan ends up with, can protect her at all times. Thus, this challenge!" Urahara pointed towards a door a few yards away from the doors leading to the backyard. "Behind that door, are three men. Behind those men, is another door, hiding two men and Rukia-chan." Urahara brought the fan back out. "These men, are holding Rukia-chan hostage. The goal of course, is to do everything necessary to take them down without harming the captive. There are cameras in the rooms in which Byakuya-sama and I will be monitoring the fights. The best three heroes, will be rewarded with a one-on-one date with Rukia-chan! Any questions?"

Easy enough, was the thought of most. Orihime appeared to call the guys when it was their turn.

* * *

Urahara stepped into the small room with the many mounted, television monitors. Kuchiki Byakuya was seated in one of the nice leather chairs, looking over the clipboard with the information of each contestant. Urahara plopped down on the leather chair next to his, with a big grin.

"Are you ready to observe, Bya-kun?"

Said Kuchiki sent a glare towards him in which Urahara just hid behind his fan, concealing his enormous smile.

As Byakuya turned to the screens, Urahara called Orihime through the ear piece to send in the first person.

* * *

Keigo

Being the first, Keigo was very nervous. He was praying that the thugs were even shrimpier than him. His prayers were rejected.

The first three men just happened to be the three largest men that Keigo has ever been within five feet of in his entire life. (Oomaeda, Jiroubou, and Jidanbou, to be exact)

The poor pervert didn't even last ten seconds. One punch from Oomaeda, was all it took to knock him out cold.

Yumichika

Upon the sight of the three men, the stylist was on the verge of barfing. He began his insults and criticism immediately. Of course the men couldn't stand the verbal abuse, so they all launched at him at the same time.

Professional stylists are always prepared, so within a second, Yumichika pulled out his scissors and hair gel.

He first used the hair gel (guarantee to stick, stay, and harden in less than a minute) and shot it into their faces, temporarily blinding them for a second.

The scissors came next as he quickly cut the hems of their shirts, ripped them partially, and tied them to one another. This made them slightly immobile and made it seem like they were all just one, big, alien octopus.

Yumichika moved onto the door to the next room, only to be thrown back by Ichinose. Iba was standing next to a bored, yet tied up, Rukia.

Getting up, Yumichika felt his cheek, feeling a bruise was forming. His eyes bugged. "MY FACE! MY PERFECTLY, BEAUTIFUL FACE! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BEAUTY?"

Of course, he went on and on and on. The other three occupants of the room sweatdropped as it seemed like the stylist forgot about his goal regarding Rukia.

Orihime was called in to escort the crying Yumichika to the infirmary.

Izuru

For an accountant, Izuru wasn't so bad at fighting. He managed to land a good blow to Oomaeda using his intellect.

The other two brothers though... he wasn't so lucky. Tag teaming was very effective and though they didn't really give any decent blows to the young accountant, Izuru decided to throw in the towel.

He was aching enough to last for a lifetime.

Ikkaku

Battles and fights was what Madarame Ikkaku was all about. Just too bad that the three men weren't kind enough to spare him time for his whole "lucky dance".

Right in the middle of it, they all scooped him up and threw in cheap shots.

* * *

Urahara winced at the punch Jidanbou had given Ikkaku. "Ouch... That must _really_ hurt."

"Serves him right. If this was a real situation, Rukia could have been dead by the end of his dance," stated the ever so cold Byakuya. He then glanced over to Urahara with his piercing eyes. "How could these weaklings even pass the audition?"

"Heh heh, well even the producers didn't know you were going to go _this_ far with the show."

Byakuya turned his attention back to the screen. "I hope that I can expect more from the next bunch?"

The grin was back behind the fan. "I can almost guarantee you a better show with the next few."

* * *

Toushirou

Young Hitsugaya wasn't called a "child prodigy" for nothing, nor should anyone ever underestimate his size.

Within two seconds, Toushirou took down all three men with the techniques he remembered from a "fighting throughout the ages" assignment he had to do in his junior year of high school. He got an A+ all the way, of course.

When entering the next room, he immediately ducked when he sensed an attack to the head. He kicked Ichinose from underneath and sent him flying to the ground. Iba then took the opportunity to take out a real blade and held it to Rukia's throat.

Toushirou froze for a minute. He heard the rustling of Ichinose getting back on his feet from behind and so, he quickly side stepped with his foot stuck out as an obstacle for the attacker.

Ichinose tripped over it and went flying towards Iba and Rukia.

With a step like lightning, Toushirou ended up in front of the two, tore Rukia out of Iba's arms, and brought her to safety on the other side of the room, as the two men clashed.

Hitsugaya Toushirou—passed successfully.

Grimmjow

With three such tough guys, the beast in Grimmjow just came out.

He enjoyed every minute of beating them to pulps as he moved into the next room, easily dodging Ichinose's surprise blow.

The blade near Rukia's neck didn't make him freeze in the slightest. When he charged towards Iba, he shoved the blade into Rukia's throat, which would've killed her if she wasn't wearing the protective body suit which covered from the neck down.

In attacking Iba, Grimmjow also unintentionally shoved Rukia towards a wall.

If Ichinose hadn't gone behind to catch her, Rukia would've had a concussion by this point.

* * *

Urahara sweatdropped as he saw what almost happened. He slowly turned towards Byakuya to see that he was just about to erupt. Gulping, Urahara prayed that there wouldn't be another one like that.

* * *

Renji

Rukia's childhood friend did very well against the first three. Not a surprise, really.

Ichinose and Iba were just a bit more challenging though, considering one had a weapon.

Getting past Ichinose was hard enough, but as he did, Iba was bringing down the blade. Renji reacted without thinking and plunged his arm right in front of the blade's target.

Renji, however, had thrust that hand up into Iba's chin and sent a full-blown kick towards the charging Ichinose.

Abarai Renji—passed successfully.

He was then rushed to the infirmary.

Gin

Games had always seemed to come in handy for Gin. It was like a game of tag to this man. First he starts off as just one of the runners, but then he becomes the tagger.

Needless to say, Gin played his way into saving the hostage.

Ichimaru Gin—passed successfully.

Ulquiorra

When one is a horror novelist, one must think up of ways to get through the obstacles successfully. Being this experienced, he got past the first three in a breeze. All the behind attacks, were where the angst novelists were at.

The second room, looked a bit like something from his fifth novel. Too bad the struggle ended up just like it.

Ichinose was thrown towards Iba, causing the blade to "slit" Rukia's neck. Unlike the novel thankfully, Rukia didn't actually die.

Ichigo

Fighting was a no-brainer for Ichigo due to his junior and high school experiences. The fact that he took karate at a young age helped as well.

Though he doesn't want to stay in the house, his protective instinct just _had_ to kick in.

Beating Oomaeda, Jidanbou, and Jiroubou, felt like he was in junior high when he was ambushed by five utterly huge guys. Ichigo didn't hesitate to send them all flying.

Opening the door to the next room, he took the blow to the cheek right-on. The hit took him back, but he recuperated fast and kicked Ichinose's feet right out from under him.

As Ichinose fell, Ichigo noticed the dagger by Rukia's face and without thinking, he grabbed a nearby chair and chucked it at Iba.

The chair just barely missed Rukia's head while the dagger fell. Ichigo then raced to them since Iba was distracted. Ichinose came up from behind and they were all in a tight embrace as Ichigo dodged flying punches.

The slightest bit of determination shined in his eyes as he kicked Iba out of the way and punched Ichinose into a wall.

Kurosaki Ichigo—passed successfully.

Shuuhei

The hot fitness instructor, didn't really need too much strategy since he does his job right. To him, it was all about strength at the look of the three.

One... two... three... was all it took for all of them to go down.

The next two, as he inspected them, needed a bit of thought. A three minute, one-on-one fight between Ichinose and Shuuhei ensued, but the minute Shuuhei saw the dagger, he sped over and punched Iba before the blade was even an inch near Rukia.

He then threw Iba into Ichinose and swept Rukia off her feet. The smile he gave her was just too overwhelming that she just had to blush.

Hisagi Shuuhei—passed successfully.

* * *

Urahara breathed a sigh of relief at his answered prayer even though Ichigo's match came dangerously close. He glanced over at the Kuchiki next to him.

It was silent for a few minutes before Urahara spoke, "See, Bya-kun? I guaranteed you a better show, did I not?"

The glare that was sent his way for the nickname, made Urahara hide behind his fan with a smile. "Do realize that just because some of them _can_ protect her, it does not mean that they _will_, nor does it mean that they themselves deserve her." Byakuya looked back at the screen that had Shuuhei untying her. "Rukia only deserves the best."

Urahara's eyes softened at Byakuya's quiet statement. At this point, it was hard to tell if he was just doing this for Hisana's promise to take care of her baby sister or if it was because Byakuya had finally developed the strong, brotherly love for young Rukia.

At that moment, Rukia came into the room with a bright face. They were to review and discuss who the top three were.

During the discussion, however, Rukia noticed that Byakuya's eyes kept straying to the screen that showed the men sitting around in the waiting room. It seemed like he was keeping an eye on a certain male, but she couldn't quite figure out which one.

* * *

"The results are in, gentlemen!" cried the ever so happy Orihime. She held the paper tightly in her hands. "The five who accomplished their mission are Abarai Renji, Hitsugaya Toushirou, Ichimaru Gin, Kurosaki Ichigo, and Hisagi Shuuhei! Congratulations to you guys!"

There was a moment of small applause before she continued. "Now, the three that Kuchiki-dono thought best and are going on a one-on-one date with Rukia are..." She paused for dramatic effect, "Ichimaru-san, Hitsugaya-san, and Hisagi-san!"

Shuuhei and Renji high-fived each other, while Toushirou and Gin just held smirks.

Keigo was trying to cheer up Ichigo for not winning in which Ichigo just insisted that he didn't care. His friend knew better than anyone there, why Ichigo didn't want to stay in the house for much longer. If it wasn't for Ichigo's dad threatening to _never_ leave him alone along with many other deadly promises, Ichigo would've left on his own the minute they arrived.

* * *

The whole competition completely took over the day. Everyone was either heading up to their rooms for the night and/or tending to their wounds in the infirmary.

Ichigo decided to stay in the lounge for a bit longer before joining the others upstairs. He leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes. _Please let me go home tomorrow... _please _just let them send me home... I _don't _want to be here... stupid show... stupid bratty Kuchiki...stupid frigid Kuchiki and his stupid challenge..._

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

Ichigo opened his eyes at the call of his name. _Speak of the devil._ He turned his head to meet a pair of steel-gray eyes.

"Do you mind if I have a word with you?"

The coldness in his voice sent chills down Ichigo's spine, though he didn't show it. "Why not."

Kuchiki Byakuya came around to sit on the couch opposite to Ichigo.

It was silent as the two men glared at each other.

* * *

_Preview for the next chapter_

_"So you have absolutely no interest in Rukia at all." It was a statement, rather than a question._

_"Nope." _

_"Then go home."_

* * *

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed it! Next chapter will probably interest the ShuuRuki, HitsuRuki, and GinRuki fans, so watch for it. Reviews would be nice, so REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW PLEASSSEEEEEE!**


	4. Episode 3: Rabbits, Roses, and Romance

**Hey everyone, thanks for the reviews! Well, here you go!**

**Disclaimer: No I don't own Bleach.**

* * *

The entire house was suffocating under the intensity of two combined auras.

Kuchiki Byakuya didn't show mercy, nor did Kurosaki Ichigo back down during their staring contest.

After a few more minutes of silence, Byakuya finally spoke. "Let's get straight to the point, shall we?"

"I'd really appreciate it," Ichigo mumbled. Considering Ichigo wasn't gay, keeping his eyes on Byakuya was proving to be quite difficult.

"Why are you here?"

Ichigo glanced to the side and muttered, "I was forced against my will."

"So you have absolutely no interest in Rukia at all." It was a statement, rather than a question.

"Nope."

"Then go home." The coldness in Byakuya's voice was evident.

The thought of the horrible tortures his dad could put him through flashed in his mind and caused Ichigo to roll his eyes. "If it was that simple, I'd be long gone by now."

A hint of anger crossed Byakuya's features. "Watch who you're talking to, boy. I'm not one of your close friends, nor am I an acquaintance."

"Tch. I'll say..."

"Tell me, _boy—"_

"I have a name."

"_Kurosaki_, then. Do you speak to your mother with such a disrespectful mouth?"

Not that Byakuya would ever admit nor show it, but the expression on Ichigo's face surprised him. The orange-haired hooligan that sat in front of him, went just as frigid as himself, if not more.

His eyes narrowed dangerously at the older man, then he got up, and headed towards the stairs.

As Byakuya watched him walk away, he could barely make out Ichigo's last words. "Tell your sister to eliminate me next."

Kuchiki Byakuya remained seated in silence.

* * *

The Next Day...

It was five o'clock in the morning and Shuuhei was waiting at the large double doors for his date with Rukia. His attire consisted of a black, sleeveless zip-up hoodie, loose track pants, and his most comfortable sneakers. He was pretty excited, but was able to keep it hidden, making himself seem attractively cool.

"Morning, Shuuhei!"

Said man looked over and instantly forgot how to breathe.

She was wearing a tight, red with white lining zip-up hoodie that came up to her navel, matching low-rise sweatpants, and a pair of white sneakers.

"Damn. You look really hot in that," he whispered.

Tomato-face Rukia smiled while Shuuhei opened the door for her and did the same for the limo.

They were headed to Seireitei Central Park. It was one of the most beautiful parks in Japan and most famous for the small, peaceful island in the middle of the large lake. It's the best place to take your friends and family to on a sunny day.

Upon arrival, they immediately began jogging the park's pathway. After awhile, Rukia became quite competitive and started running at top speed. Shuuhei, not one to back down, took the challenge and increased his speed as well.

One minute they were side by side, then he was in the lead, and then she stole that from him. This went on for fifteen more minutes before it somehow turned into a playful chase.

"You're too slow, Shuuhei!" giggled a happy Rukia. She was a well sixteen yards ahead of him.

Behind her, the smirking Shuuhei was ready. He dashed towards Rukia like he was in one of his high school track meets and made it one foot behind her in less than ten seconds.

When she turned to see where he was, she let out a gasp at his proximity.

He quickly closed the gap with a "Gotcha!" as she let out a yelp. At the motion of catching her, he lost his balance and sent them both tumbling down a soft, grassy hill in which they held on tight to each other.

He began tickling her when they reached the bottom of the hill, making her sweet laughter echo throughout the park. Whenever she'd try to tickle him back, she'd just get it ten times worse considering he really wasn't all that ticklish. The attempt was cute in his eyes though, which led to him aim for her smile even more. It was a true sight to see.

They hopped into a canoe after their tickle war and rowed their way to the island. A nicely set up table with a traditional Japanese breakfast awaited them by the shore. Needless to say, they were both famished from the earlier activities and jumped on it right away.

There was a little too much for breakfast, so what did they do? Shuuhei threw a piece of his cucumber at her and Rukia retaliated with her unfinished, rolled omelet. This broke out into an all left-overs food fight! Laughter once again filled the air around them.

* * *

It was six o'clock in the morning and the whole house was still asleep, except for one Kurosaki Ichigo.

A decent night's sleep in a room that held Renji, Ikkaku, and Yumichika was nearly impossible. Ichigo wondered if he ever snored like them, but highly doubted it since he would've woken himself up. So he decided he'd just go to the backyard and take in some fresh air.

As he sat down on a chair, he noticed a white, fluffy ball slowly limping across the lawn. Squinting his eyes a bit, he confirmed that it was a little baby rabbit. He stayed where he was at for a moment, observing the bunny, before going over to it when it stopped moving all together.

Ichigo slowly approached the baby rabbit, not wanting to startle it. The bunny though, stayed perfectly still and sniffed the hand that was reaching out for it. A few more sniffs caused the bunny to give a final bounce into Ichigo's large hand.

The young man was a little surprised at the action, but gently cradled it nonetheless. Under inspection, there seemed to be nothing wrong with it. _Maybe it just pulled a muscle from hopping around so much._

The bunny looked up at Ichigo with its big black eyes and twitched its nose.

Ichigo frowned a bit and whispered, "Don't even think about it."

It blinked a couple of times before snuggling deeper into Ichigo's arms and fell asleep almost instantly.

He looked around the yard, but didn't see any other rabbits in sight. The baby must have been left behind. Ichigo looked back down at the slumbering mammal in his possession with a softened frown. "All alone too, huh?" He started to gently stroke it.

What the hell. He could probably look after it for a little while. At least until it stopped limping.

* * *

Once the fight was over, they got back into the canoe and slowly began rowing their boat back.

Shuuhei wouldn't stop staring at her, so she asked why.

He blinked before a smirk appeared. "You've got a radish stuck in your hair."

She blushed and immediately began raking through her black locks, trying to find the radish. He chuckled and moved closer to her, careful not to tip the canoe, until he was less than two inches from touching her. Reaching for her searching hand, he whispered, "Just kidding. I just like looking at you." He tilted his head closer to her face. "You're just that gorgeous."

_How come this guy always manages to bring an extreme amount of heat to my face?_

Rukia really didn't know what to say to that. When she looked up at him, he had a very mischievous glint in his eye. She raised an eyebrow, "What?"

Shuuhei's smirk got wider and he began swaying the canoe back and forth. "What would you do, if I tipped us over?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Instantly kill you."

The swaying turned into light jerks. "Let's see... we finished our meal about an hour ago so we should be good... a swim doesn't really sound so bad right now..." The look of horror that crossed over Rukia's features was priceless. "Don't you want to go for a swim with me? Or are you too afraid to get wet?"

Rukia wiped the terror right of her face, replaced it with a smirk, and before he knew it, _she_ tipped them over.

Splash fights happened in no time at all. The life jackets made this play even easier since they really didn't have to worry about swimming and drowning. Shuuhei continued tickling her underwater and Rukia enjoyed making funny new hairstyles with Shuuhei's wet hair.

When they finally calmed down a bit, they turned the canoe back around since their date time was running out. Before getting into the canoe again though, Shuuhei just couldn't contain himself. He was holding her around the waist, supporting the both of them by hanging onto the canoe. Her beautiful violet eyes were so captivating that he just had to lean down and claim her precious lips.

This surprised her but soon found herself melting into his sweet kiss. The hand supporting her underwater, rubbed her back, while her hand gently caressed his face.

They returned to the shore and limo, hand in hand.

* * *

Rukia changed into a jean skirt, light blue polo, and white flats when she got home. Her date with Gin was next and he was patiently waiting for her at the door. They got into the limo and were off to the Yamashita Zoo and Botanical Gardens for a fun time.

This zoo was one of Rukia's personal favorites. It had such a wide variety of animals that included: bears, elephants, giraffes, koalas, lions, tigers, so on and so forth. Different types of reptiles and birds were coming in everyday and they just rebuilt the aquarium. The fish that were found were magnificent.

There was a room that held specially trained animals that are for the public to pet. Gin and Rukia had played with baby tigers which brought a huge smile to Rukia's face. Gin had even offered to buy her one of the tigers just to see that smile last. She of course, refused it with a laugh causing him to lean in to plant a kiss on her cheek. He pulled away to see her blush and shocked expression. He let his permanent smile spread even more, took her hand, and led her to their next destination.

In the aquarium, Rukia and Gin had a competition to see who could make the better fishy faces. Rukia had won with the blow-fish face while Gin had won with the Parana face. There was even one match where they entertained a crowd with their impression of certain fish. Even some of the fish were amused by their show.

* * *

"You _would_ be the one to find a limping rabbit at six in the morning," Ikkaku stated as he finished up his last ten push-ups. "How bout we cook it up? I remember this great recipe for rabbit stew."

Ichigo flinched at the thought of killing it, but before he could say anything, Renji cut in. "Dude, don't even say that! Do you know how crazy Rukia is about rabbits? She'd kill you before you could even get the chance to touch a single hair on it!"

"Guess you're right. How old did Unohana-sensei say it was anyway? About three months old? Eh, there'd be plenty of time to eat it up—GAH!" The bald man was instantly face-planted into the floor by a frightened Renji.

"What part of 'don't even say that' don't you understand?"

Ikkaku got up and in Renji's face. "What's it even matter? She's on her date with Ichimaru!"

"The hell it matters! Rukia's rabbit senses are creepy! This one time I was on my way to meet up with her and I accidentally stepped on a rabbit that was in my way. I felt bad but I was running late, so I kept running since I still had a way to go. When I got there she just stared at me with this murderous look in her eyes. At first I thought she was mad that I was late, but then she started attacking me, screaming 'BUNNY STOMPER! BUNNY STOMPER!' I couldn't even _feel_ half of my body for two weeks!" Renji shuttered at the memory.

Ikkaku just stared at him in disbelief. "Are you sure she just didn't see you or someone told her or something?"

Renji snapped his head to glare at his friend. "I took a back way through the woods...not even a superhuman android would've been able to spot me..."

The bald man was left skeptical, but speechless. Ichigo just shook his head and took a step out of the room. He looked down at the bunny to find it staring back up at him with a fearful expression.

Ichigo smiled before saying, "Don't worry. No big oaf will step on you nor throw you on a table with an apple stuffed in your mouth."

The baby bunny made a small jump so it could press its face into Ichigo's neck. Its nose twitched which slightly tickled him. "Heh. Let's go get you a carrot."

The little critter watched a certain assistant standing a few feet behind Ichigo, as he was moving farther and farther away from her. She seemed to be observing his interaction with itself.

* * *

Lunch was set up in the zoo's Tsukiyama garden. Many of the exotic flowers were found in this garden and there was even a small stream with a bridge. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking and the food was delicious. It was a great mix with the many interesting stories that Gin had to offer.

After the meal, they decided to stand on the bridge to take in the landscaping. Gin had then suggested to play "I spy" and Rukia had agreed since she remembered loving the game as a child.

"Okay Rukia-chan, you can go first."

"Alright. I spy with my little eye something...white."

Gin tapped his chin for a moment, then answered, "Your spirit."

She blinked. "My spirit?"

He nodded. "Such a bright and innocent spirit should be pure white."

Rukia laughed. "Well I don't know about that, but I was referring to the clouds. Your turn, Gin."

Said man looked at her mischievously. "I spy with my little eye something...pink."

Rukia looked around for something pink, but not very many things were. She named some of the few pink flowers that she saw, but they came up as a no's.

"Mm... I don't know. I give up. What?"

Gin's smile widened as he leaned in and whispered, "Your lips..." before catching them in his own.

When he pulled away, her eyes were wide. He chuckled as his hand snaked around her waist to pull her in closer. Gin looked into her eyes and spoke against her cheek, "My my, Rukia-chan. I'm going to enjoy you so much when I win your heart."

The small gasp that escaped her delighted Gin and he went for her lips again. His kiss was stronger than Shuuhei's, Rukia noticed. It was much more possessive.

* * *

Sasakibe's Horse Stable was where Rukia and Toushirou ended up for their date. The horses were running around, exhibiting excellent examples of freedom.

Rukia had challenged the child prodigy to a race against her. Two out of three ended up with Toushirou displaying his skills and beating her on the third round. She had pouted playfully in which he just smirked triumphantly.

They played many games with the horses and when the time came for them to rest, they helped brush their manes and tails. Occasionally the horses would give Toushirou a kiss because of how cute they thought he was and Rukia would giggle at the look of irritation that would come across Toushirou's face. She has to agree with the horses though, that he was just _that _adorable.

Toushirou and Rukia fed them carrots before realizing that the sun was setting and that dinner was waiting for them.

A beautiful, white horse awaited them at the beginning of a trail that led to their next destination. Toushirou, being the kind gentleman that he was, effortlessly swept Rukia off her feet and onto the horse. The minute he got on, she wrapped her arms around his waist and placed her chin on his shoulder. This caused the law student to turn pink. He grabbed the rein and down they went on the trail.

* * *

Ichigo quickly took note that baby rabbits seemed to have bottomless pits for stomachs. He was feeding the seventh, large carrot of the day. He heard a rustling behind him and turned around to see a grinning Urahara watching them from the doorway.

"Hello Kurosaki-san. How are you and the bunny doing?"

Ichigo looked back down at the rabbit before him. "Fine. It stopped limping now, so I think it just pulled a muscle before."

Urahara sat down close to Ichigo and picked the rabbit up, thoroughly inspecting it. "She." He let his smile spread. "It's a she."

Ichigo nodded his head and they sat in silence, minus the munching of the bunny.

A couple of minutes passed before Urahara broke the silence. "You know... now that I think about it... Rukia-chan is a lot like a bunny. So small and cute. So strong yet fragile. Has the ability to cheer you up on a rainy day, but also has the potential to drag you down should she be in any type of pain." He glanced at Ichigo before continuing. "Did you know, that Rukia was actually adopted?"

This caught Ichigo's attention, but he still kept his gaze on the rabbit.

Urahara began stroking the bunny. "When Rukia was about three years old, her and her sister had to move in with their Uncle Ukitake. You see, her mom use to continuously beat her while her dad was your average druggie. Even so, she was never really upset about it all. To her, they were just terrible figments of her young imagination. Her parents never even existed to her after she moved in with her uncle."

The story teller didn't miss the flicker of emotion that quickly flashed through Ichigo's eyes. "Her uncle was always sick though. She would often take care of him while her sister, Hisana, would be working small jobs to help support them." He looked over again and knows that Ichigo's really interested, even if he is trying to hide it. "Little Rukia-chan never could ask for anything she wanted. She was always worrying that she was a big bother. That's why her brother, well actually brother-in-law, likes to spoil her even though she often insists that everything's too much. The Kuchikis use to live next door to her uncle and he watched her grow up and even fell in love with Hisana, but that's a whole different story all together."

Urahara looked at the clock. "Oh my how time flies! I've still got a lot to do before elimination tonight! Well I'll talk to you later, Kurosaki-san!"

With that said, he placed the rabbit back into Ichigo's lap and off he went.

The small rabbit had attempted to climb up Ichigo's chest with a look of concern. Ichigo's hand went over it and began to pet. "Don't give me that look."

* * *

The trail had led them to a nice sandy beach, where the sun was setting over the horizon. Set up on the beach, was a romantic candlelit dinner for two.

Toushirou honestly could say that he had never been so talkative before in his entire life, nor has he ever given out so many (even if they're small) smiles in one day. The dinner was perfect as the night completely took over the sky and the stars soon appeared overhead.

After they ate, Rukia took Toushirou's hand and led them down to the ocean for a moonlit walk on the beach.

Their side by side footprints in the sand, were getting washed away be the cool flow of the water. Many stars were out and Rukia began picking out the brightest stars that caught her eye.

Though Toushirou found her eyes to be the brightest stars of the evening, he couldn't quite voice it out without feeling embarrassed or foolish.

Suddenly, the waves got stronger leading one to cause Rukia to lose her balance and take Toushirou down with her. Laying on top of her in the sand, made both hearts beat rapidly. Before Toushirou even realized what he was doing, their lips were pressed against one another in a chaste kiss. It was so pure, that it was almost heavenly.

* * *

When Rukia opened the door to her room, she found that a big surprise had been waiting for her. Rukia's entire room was completely filled with bouquets of red and orange roses. Her jaw nearly dropped to the floor at the sight.

The minute she shut the door, Grimmjow popped out from her closet with a huge grin on his face and a hand hidden behind his back.

"Grimmjow? Did you do all this?" Rukia asked in amazement.

He went in front of her and pulled out a bouquet of beautiful lavender roses. "I just wanna properly apologize for almost killing you during the challenge, yesterday."

Rukia took the bouquet and looked up at him. "This is so much more than proper! You didn't have to do all of _this_!"

His grin grew even wider as he framed her face in his hands. "You ain't seen nothing yet, sweetheart."

She was immediately silenced by the strong lips of Jeagerjaques Grimmjow. It had came down so hard that her knees nearly gave out. That didn't matter though, since he just lifted her up so that he didn't have to lean down.

He walked her over to the bed, dropped her, and quickly got on top. Grimmjow then continued to kiss her while ignoring her protests. He started to kiss her neck and ran his hand up her thigh, giving her a chance to speak. "Grimmjow! I forgive you already so, stop!"

His head jerked up to glare, but received one in turn. "What? Doesn't it feel good?"

The blush that came across her face gave it away. He blinked, then snickered, "Alright, I get it." He leaned in to give her a quick kiss before getting up and pulling her to her feet.

Rukia adjusted herself as Grimmjow brushed her bang away from her face. He inclined his face towards her and whispered, "This time, I'll let it go. Only because elimination's in an hour."

As soon as he left, Rukia let herself fall against a chair. _All these guys are going to be the death of me._

* * *

Rukia entered the elimination room to find her many bachelors lined up on the platform, waiting for her. Orihime and Urahara had followed with the suitcase as well as Byakuya, who took his seat in the throne-like chair.

Smiling at the boys, Rukia began. "Good evening, gentlemen."

"Good evening."

"You all did wonderfully in the challenge and I appreciate your efforts." Rukia was sure to make eye contact with each one of them. "Unfortunately, two of you will be going home tonight." She looked over at her brother. "Nii-sama and I have discussed his opinions on all of you. Keep in mind that it's me who makes the final decision and not him." A slight pause. "Shall we begin?"

The heads nodded and the suitcase was opened.

The first three to get their compasses were of course Gin, Toushirou, and Shuuhei. She had complimented them on the things that she liked on their dates.

The next five were Grimmjow, Renji, Ikkaku, Ulquiorra, Yumichika, and Ichigo, leaving Keigo and Izuru without compasses.

They stepped forward.

Rukia looked at Izuru. "Izuru. Even though you tried, you seem to give up too easily. I need someone who would fight for something that he truly wants. It might just be because you don't want me enough and that's okay."

Izuru looked at her as if he was grateful that he was leaving. He went up to give her a hug.

"Best of luck, Izuru."

He nodded, then left the house.

Rukia looked at a weeping Keigo and smiled softly. "Keigo. You're a really nice guy, but not really my type. I'm sorry." She tilted her head to the side. "We could still be friends, if you'd like."

He let out a full blown sob and rubbed his face into her stomach, repeating, "My beautiful goddess! I don't want to leave!" so on and so forth.

After he finally left, Rukia turned to the remaining men with a smile. "Congratulations to the rest of you."

* * *

It had been a really long day and Rukia couldn't wait to finally hit the hay.

As she was turning off her light though, she heard a small scratching noise coming from her balcony door. She looked over and through the sheer curtains, she could see the figure of a small animal lifting its paw against the glass.

Rukia hurried over to open the door, careful not to harm the animal in the process.

What stood there staring up at her made Rukia squeal in utter delight.

Right there... before her feet... sat the cutest... most adorable looking, baby rabbit that she had ever seen!

She quickly squatted to take a closer look. The moment that she did, the bunny happily jumped into her arms and wasted no time in snuggling up to Rukia. The Kuchiki heiress lifted it up to rub her face into its fluffy fur.

Rukia pulled the rabbit away to get a better look at it. It was a girl. Her fur was pure white. Her eyes were as black as coal. She looked to be about only a few months old due to how tiny she was.

Around her little rabbit's, was a violet ribbon, with a note. _So she's a gift from someone?_

She placed the bunny down on her lap and took a look at the note.

_To: Rukia_

_Sorry. _

Rukia blinked. She flipped it over to find nothing. She turned it back to the front to see the three words again. Her eyes then lowered to the bunny in her lap. "That's it?"

The bunny blinked at her.

Rukia picked her up and scrunched her own nose playfully. "I don't suppose you could tell me who you came from, could you?"

She blinked again and made a small bounce towards Rukia.

Rukia sighed, "Well... I guess I'll find out eventually, huh?" She cradled the baby rabbit in her arms and gently poked her stomach. "Now... what should I name you?"

Playing around a bit more, Rukia's breakthrough hit. "You're as white as the snow, so how about I name you... Shirayuki? Do you like that name?" Rukia didn't miss the sparkle of happiness that entered the bunny's eye and smiled. "Then Shirayuki, it is."

As the raven-haired girl walked towards her balcony doors, Shirayuki watched a tall figure from over Rukia's shoulder, quietly disappear from her sight.

* * *

_Preview for the next chapter_

_"I will count on you to watch over these men while I'm gone." _

_"Don't worry, Byakuya-sama. I won't let any of these guys harm my most valuable person."_

* * *

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed it. Didn't really plan on adding in a GrimmRuki in this chapter, but it was an absolute must. (sighs) Such a lucky duck with all of these guys. Reviews motivate so REVIEW PLEASE ;)**


	5. Episode 4: Dateapalooza Part I

**Holy crap people it's been two months since I last updated this! Can you believe it? I can't believe how busy I've been! I missed writing this story so much and don't worry, I haven't given up on this for the life of me. Like I said, I definitely intend on sticking to this to the end and I assure you, I have tons in stored.**

**Thanks for the reviews everyone and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't.**

* * *

At the same time Rukia discovered Shirayuki...

One Kuchiki Byakuya sat in his dimly lit room, conversing with a mystery person through the phone.

"This event really shouldn't last any longer than that. I will expect that some of them might take advantage of the situation."

"Well they _are_ healthy young men, are they not?" stated Mr. Mystery.

"Yes, in which case I will count on you to watch over these men while I'm gone."

"Don't worry, Byakuya-sama. I won't let any of these guys harm my most valuable person."

"See to it. Goodbye."

"Goodnight, Byakuya-sama."

Byakuya sat in deep thought before glancing at the framed picture of Hisana that sat on his desk.

_This will surely cause a ruckus. _

He let out a loud sigh. As if the house needed any more chaos.

* * *

The Next Day...

"Good morning everyone!" cried the very awake Inoue Orihime.

The men groaned in response and wondered if this woman had to scream so loud each morning.

Said woman cleared her throat. "I have an announcement to make! Kuchiki-dono will be gone for a very important four day business trip starting today."

A good few of them were secretly happy, while the rest just found the information useless.

Orihime kept going, "During this time, we'll be having a mystery visitor that will remain here until Kuchiki-dono returns! This visitor will also be evaluating each of you, seeing as he wants the very best for Kuchiki-san as well."

The secret happiness was gone.

"The time of our visitor's arrival is unknown, but rest assured he will come by the end of the day. Also, other events will include group dates with Kuchiki-san."

The last sentence caught their attentions.

"Today's group date with Kuchiki-san will consist of Ayasegawa-san, Schiffer-san, and Hitsugaya-san. Tomorrow's group will be Abarai-san, Kurosaki-kun, and Hisagi-san and the fourteenth's will be Madarame-san, Ichimaru-san, and Jeagerjaques-san."

Yumichika was the first one who spoke, "That's marvelous! I knew it was fate for me to get the first date with her when I saw her and her precious rabbit this morning!"

"You only have one third of the date," Ulquiorra stated.

"Oh whatever. Still, the spectacle this morning was truly beautiful! There I was, on my way to breakfast, when suddenly I see the gorgeous Kuchiki princess leave her room with her rabbit in hand. The rabbit was tucked snugly under her chin! It was the sign of a beautiful morning and that fate was waiting and now I find out I have a date with her today! This is marvelous!"

Everyone around him just stared.

Grimmjow scoffed, "That doesn't even make sense. What the hell does fate have to do with it? You're gonna be in a _group_ date. It means you'll be with your _rivals_ too, not one-on-one. Besides, Rukia's a stunner everyday."

"I'm not surprised that you know nothing about stunning fate. You match your eyeshadow with your hideously colored hair," sneered Yumichika.

A vein popped on the wrestler's head as he slowly advanced across the table for Yumichika. "How about I make your face match Abarai's hair ?"

"If your ugliness doesn't slow you down from catching me!" Yumichika then jumped out of his chair and started running just as Grimmjow pounced across the table, knocking and shattering some plates along the way.

"Come 'ere, faggot! I'll make sure your face turns as white as little boy genius' hair (vein popped on Toushirou) by the end of this!"

The chase continued around the table as Yumichika skipped and sang, "U-G-L-Y! Grimmjow ain't got no alibi, he's UGLY! Eh yea, HE'S UGLY!".

Needless to say... he was as good as dead.

Just as Grimmjow caught him by the pants, Orihime clapped her hands. "Alright, that's enough fellas!"

"That's right," said a sleepy Urahara. Said man had been dozing off in the corner until it reached a whole new level of loudness. "There's no need for the violence at such an early hour. Ayasegawa-san is just overly excited is all."

Grimmjow and Yumichika took a moment to glare at each other. A smirk came across Grimmjow's face. "Sure... no violence..." and with that said, he quickly grabbed Yumichika's underwear and yanked them sky high.

Orihime and Urahara had to pull them apart, Orihime taking Grimmjow since he wouldn't be able to hit a woman (though that probably wouldn't stop him when he's really into it). The two in-charge then plopped them back in their seats, Grimmjow being thoroughly satisfied while Yumichika rubbed his painfully throbbing... um...

Breakfast resumed.

Urahara observed the table of idiots until his eyes fell on a certain orange-headed moron. He grinned. "So that was awfully nice of you to give that rabbit to Rukia-chan, Kurosaki-san!"

Ichigo immediately started choking on his food and Renji attempted to calm him down by hitting the living daylights out of his back.

After his painful recovery, Ichigo brought his finger up to his mouth along with a "Shhhhhhh!"

Clearly amused, Urahara lifted an eyebrow. "And why should I, Kurosaki-san?"

Ichigo looked away as he mumbled, "I don't want her to find out that it was from me."

"Why not?" asked Renji.

"Because if she knew it was from me, that might just decrease my chances of going home." Ichigo looked around the table. The looks and stares he received were quite irritating. "In which case if anyone tells her... you're as good as dead."

"Don't worry, Ichigo!" chimed in a now fully-recovered Yumichika. "I'll convince Rukia to eliminate you when we're on our date! I'll tell her that you still have a blankie, you sleep in onesies, thumb-sucking, the works! Though I have to admit, why she didn't throw you out of the house already, is truly remarkable. I mean come on, orange? That's almost as bad as electric blue, but then again people like blue, so then it's actually worse!"

Half an egg omelet met Yumichika's face which led to a loud wail from Mr. Dramatic.

Breakfast time just seemed to be getting worse and worse by each passing day.

* * *

When date time arrived, Rukia took Yumichika, Ulquiorra, and Toushirou on a trip to the huge art museum in downtown Seireitei. Thinking they were all artsy in one way or another, she figured the museum would be the perfect place for their group date.

Upon entering the museum, Yumichika dragged Rukia to the first abstract painting in sight. He wanted to give his opinion on it as a sign that he could be just as intellectual as the novelist and the prodigy. But "This one just depicts the beauty of beauty, doesn't it Rukia? All the beautiful colors just bring out its beauty, does it not?" doesn't really count for even half a point on the smart scale.

Kind Rukia just smiled and nodded. _Is "beautiful" the only word he knows?_

"And also, the background colors are just gorgeous!"

Rukia sweatdropped. _Okay, two words. _

Toushirou's cough grabbed Rukia's attention. "Actually, this piece is suppose to show the darkness in a person's heart."

Yumichika stopped his rambling to look at the law student. "Excuse me?"

The white-haired lad rolled his eyes. "The painting is called 'A heart's sorrow'. As you can see, the artist used dark colors such as navy blue, dark lavender, as well as basic black, gray, and white. The colors represent the turmoil in a living subject."

"There are brighter colors too, though!" Yumichika argued, pointing to the painting, "There's the yellow, the light blue, the bright purple, PINK!"

"They represent the happier times in a person," spoke Ulquiorra. "If you look closely, the darker colors are leaking into the brighter ones. This represents darkness taking over the person's soul, thus creating the inner sorrow."

Yumichika just blinked and then waved his hand up and down. "Oh poppy-cock! This is about the beauty of the inner soul."

Rukia giggled. "I'm sorry, Yumichika, but I'm afraid they're right." She turned to said men. "Great evaluation you guys. I find it interesting that when you look at it, you can truly feel the sorrow taking over your own being. Don't you think?"

The two men nodded as they looked at the painting.

"Tch! Who wants to look at such a depressing picture anyway? Something like this could turn you so gloomy that you'll lose all signs of beauty, both inner and outer!" Yumichika scoffed.

"You're the one who picked it," said Toushirou.

"Yeah well, it's too gloomy now that I _really_ look at it. I mistook it for a different one that I wanted to show Rukia."

"Or you just feel stupid because you didn't read the display slate," Ulquiorra stated.

Yumichika glanced over at the slate that said everything that they did, except in simpler terms. His face went as red as Renji's hair.

Rukia felt bad for him and reached for his arm. "You're not stupid, Yumichika. That was a good effort and in the end, you've shown that you're on the same level by arguing to show us your view of the picture. That's what artists strive to do in life. They want to create something that people could debate about and see in different perspectives." She leaned up to give him a peck on the cheek. "Good job."

Yumichika beamed with happiness as he danced around the room.

Rukia smiled at Toushirou and Ulquiorra. "You guys were great." She planted kisses on their cheeks as well. Toushirou smirked and Ulquiorra just sighed. He couldn't believe she rewarded the idiot before them. The whole dating crap was still such a mystery to him.

* * *

Renji let out a fairly large sigh.

He had been laying alongside the pond since Rukia left with her dates. His brain was about to explode from all the thinking that he had been doing since he arrived, but luckily he was in the perfect place for it. The birds were singing, the sky was clear, and Urahara was looming over his face and blocking the sun...

"Gahh!" yelped the unsuspecting red head.

"Haaaalllloooooooo, Abarai-san!" The scary man waved.

Renji sat up while clenching his heart and glaring at the man. "What's up?"

Urahara whipped out his handy dandy fan and cooled himself. "Just wanted to see why you were out here on such a hot summer day when we have a nice air conditioned mansion just a few yards away."

Renji shrugged. "Just wanted a place to think is all." When he actually thought about it, it did get a bit warmer since that morning. He must have really been in deep thought to not notice the change.

Urahara sat with a thump in front of Renji. "Alright, Renji. What's the issue?"

"Huh?"

"Don't 'huh?' me. I've known you ever since you became friends with Rukia-chan. I know something's bothering you, so spill."

_Am I really that easy to read?_ He shifted uncomfortably.

"Is it honestly so bad?" sighed Urahara.

"Not that it's bad. Just more... embarrassing..." he mumbled.

"Embarrassing how?"

Renji looked up. Big mistake. Urahara had the huge "I'm not going to leave you alone until you tell me" smile in place. He sighed in defeat and mumbled his answer.

Urahara raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"

Renji spoke one level higher.

Urahara raised a hand to his ear. "Eh?"

"I'M AFRAID SHE WON'T FEEL THE SAME!"

That blew annoying hat man away.

Urahara recovered and patted the dust off of him. "What?"

Renji let out an aggravated growl. "Tomorrow is the first date that Rukia and I have ever been on."

"No it's not! Remember when you two were twelve and Rukia invited you to the amusement park and when she took you on the teacups, you puked all ov—"

"That doesn't count!" Renji was boiling, but then sunk back into a depressive state. "This is my first chance to show her how I really feel... as more than a friend... and I... I just keep thinking that I'm going to mess up and completely ruin it and the friendship that I've worked so hard to keep over the years..."

Urahara examined him closely and could see his struggle. Ever since he saw this man as a boy, he could see how much he adored Rukia. It was as clear as day for anyone with eyes. Well clear to anyone but Rukia of course. Nonetheless, he knew that this first date meant the world to Renji. If she just saw Renji as the friend that he's been, she'd undoubtedly send him home and Renji would be heartbroken.

"Well," Urahara began, "The only advice that I can give you is... to just be yourself and stop worrying so damn much." His fan was going again. "After all, you definitely want her to like you for you. Even if you klutz it up a bit or a lot... you've been doing that for years and she still laughs her ass off. The only difference now is trying to figure out if you two are compatible enough for a relationship. Give yourself some credit, Renji. You've been there for her when she needed someone to talk or cry to. You've made her laugh countless times whether on purpose or not. Despite what you may think, you've got potential."

Renji thought about it and ultimately agreed with Urahara. How could he forget the most important part of their friendship. He has always been there for her and always will, no matter how the competition ends.

A genuine smile crossed his features. "Thanks... for reminding me, Urahara."

"Anytime," Urahara's devious grin was back. "Now I'd like to remind you of something else."

"What?"

"It's a very hot summer day. We have air condition and it looks like you need it _and_ a shower."

Renji looked at where Urahara was pointing to. Under his arms, were gigantic armpit stains!

"If I was Rukia-chan, I'd go 'ewwwwwww!'" mimicked one giddy Urahara.

Renji's hand formed a fist. "Ura—har—a..." he growled.

Said man laughed and ran, singing to the tune of Ring Around the Rosie. "Stinky stinky stinkyyyy! Who's a sweaty stinky? Abarai, Abarai! We all go ewwww!"

"I'm going to murder you!"

The chase ran to and continued throughout the house.

* * *

"Okay guys, since we finished looking at everything the museum has to offer, I have an activity for us before we head home," Rukia cheerfully announced.

They had seen every painting, sculpture, and exhibit and were now in an empty back room. On the far right of the room, was a showering corner and towels were placed in the far left.

"The museum made this room especially for body art!"

The men of the room listened and intensely watched as she disrobed herself.

"I will get to paint on you and you will get to paint on me. Now strip!"

Yumichika tore off his clothes in under a second while Ulquiorra and Toushirou took their time. Rukia, who watched in her designer bikini, admired the nicely chiseled men that stood before her with their swimming trunks.

Rukia grabbed the paint. "Who's first?" she sang.

Yumichika's hand was up in no time. She dipped two fingers in some paint and closely examined the eccentric man. She decided to paint a large, red and yellow butterfly on his back to match his eye feathers.

On Ulquiorra, she decided to paint his face. She made it so that he was ten times paler and drew black tear lines that went from the bottom of his eyes to roughly mid-cheek. She finished with a black hole in the middle of his neck. "This seems to suit you, Ulquiorra. You kind of look like one of your Arrancar characters. Now we just need that crown thing for the side of your head!"

As she turned to Toushirou, she thought a moment before an idea struck. First she drew a rhombus on his back and then she added the number ten in the middle. She then drew a watermelon on his cheek. He raised an eyebrow as to ask why.

"I remember the legends that Hisana used to tell me. One was about a handsome, young prodigy who became Captain of the 10th squad of the Gotei 13. He also liked watermelons. You fit the description well being both handsome and a watermelon lover."

Said Captain blushed.

"Now that that's done, time for you boys to show me just how artistic you can be!" Rukia popped her arms straight out and spread her legs. The men immediately jumped on the moment.

Yumichika decided to paint his favorite bird, a peacock, on her back. "It's absolutely stunning just like you, Rukia!"

Ulquiorra decided to paint a hollow, which was a type of monster from his novels, along the right side of her stomach. "Since you like this series so much..."

Toushirou decided to paint his version of that Captain's sword, Hyouinmaru, in full release as a terrifying dragon. He made it so that it wrapped around her left leg. "You're as strong as the most powerful ice zanpakutou in the Gotei 13."

The paintings came out wonderfully, but their date was coming to an end and it was soon time to wash off.

The four of them got under the hot shower and before Rukia could do anything, Toushirou had already begun to gently rub his dragon off her delicate leg. She closed her eyes as the guys circled her.

Ulquiorra ran his hands along her smooth sides, easing the gunk away. He decided to place small kisses where his hands had touched to which Rukia let out a small sigh.

Yumichika, jealous of the novelist, began to kiss the back of her neck as he washed away his peacock. The moan he got from her made him happy... that is until Toushirou planted a firm kiss on her lips.

Rukia's wide eyes stared directly into a confident pair of teal-emeralds. She felt his smirk as his tongue licked the seam of her lips. Her mind was slowly deteriorating under the pressure of his kiss and so, she brought up her arms, closed her eyes, and let him in.

At the same time, both Ulquiorra and Yumichika bit her at the spot of their kisses.

Toushirou swallowed her yelp and held her tighter against him. He glanced over at Yumichika, who was attempting to munch the skin right off her neck. Electrical waves transpired between the two as Toushirou's eyes spoke. _Obviously, I'm winning this match._

Rukia's grip on Toushirou grew tighter, fueling Toushirou's confidence.

The Captain didn't let go of his subordinate until they were all completely clean.

* * *

Ichigo wandered into the kitchen and got himself a bottle of water. He spent his day running the trail on the Kuchiki grounds. He had discarded his shirt long before since the weather turned unbelievably hot, but the run definitely killed time.

The opening of the bottle was at his lips when he felt something on his foot. Ichigo looked down to find a pair of coal black eyes staring up at him. He groaned.

"What do you want _now_?"

Shirayuki blinked, then bounced on his foot a couple of times. _Bend down, please._

Ichigo sighed. He took a sip of his drink and squatted to the bunny's level. "What?"

Shirayuki leaped so that she was propped up on her hind legs and her paws were on Ichigo's knees. Her nose twitched. She held a staring contest with him until he heard her problem. Her stomach growled out of control.

Ichigo blinked.

Her stomach growled again. _Well don't just sit there. You heard my tummy. Feed me, please!_

"Heh, let me guess... you want me to get you a carrot?"

Shirayuki nodded.

Ichigo shook his head and smirked, "I'm losing it."

Shirayuki twitched her nose and took a giant leap into his arms. _If you say so, but you better hurry up with my food... your hair looks quite appetizing right now... _

He stood up and went to the refrigerator to get her a carrot. Ichigo then placed her on the counter top with it and watched as she attacked the orange stick. "Jeez, didn't Rukia leave you in someone's care until she got back?" He leaned his upper half on the counter and propped his head on his hand.

The baby bunny stopped eating and looked a bit critical. _She did, but I don't like that lady. She can't cuddle me right, she pets me like she was molding hard clay, and for the love of Ruki-sama, I can't stand the cutesy squealing! Ruki-sama coos and does it better! _

Ichigo raised an eyebrow in interest. Shirayuki had turned her attention away from her snack and sat up a bit to count her paw? Was she naming something off? It seemed like the bunny was telling her life story.

Shirayuki finally looked up at Ichigo with a certain gleam in her eye. _I like being with Ichi-sama when I'm not with Ruki-sama. _

"There you are!"

Both bunny and Ichigo looked up to see Orihime standing at the threshold.

"I've been looking everywhere for you, Shirayuki!"

When Orihime came closer, Shirayuki jumped to where Ichigo was and placed herself under his chin. He moved his head to look down at her and then up at Orihime. _Maybe this is what she was counting off._

"So Rukia left Shirayuki in your care?"

Orihime had been so distracted by his sweaty, shirtless appearance that she didn't hear him.

"Inoue?"

She snapped out of it quick, "Huh?"

Ichigo raised his brow. _No wonder the bunny ran off, this girl spaces out a lot._ "You're the one taking care of Shirayuki while Rukia's out?"

Orihime nodded enthusiastically, "Yup! That's me! Although I was trying to replace that purple ribbon with this new sparkling pink one..." she held up said ribbon. "But then she bit me and ran away." She also held up a bandaged finger.

Ichigo looked down in shock. _She actually _bit_ her?_

Shirayuki innocently looked up. _What? I like the ribbon that Ichi-sama gave me. It matches Ruki-sama's eyes. _

"I was so worried that something might have happened to her. It seems like she missed you, Kurosaki-kun."

Shirayuki looked at Orihime. _Finally she gets _something _right._

"She looks so happy."

_Right again._

"Nah," Ichigo replied as he began to pet Shirayuki, "She was just eating her carrot. I think she's just happy to get food."

Shirayuki looked up at Ichigo and twitched her nose. _Wow, you _are _dense._

His hand went idle as if he heard her insult.

Orihime giggled, "Oh Kurosaki-kun, either way, you're still lovable."

Ichigo glanced up at her in question.

Orihime panicked. "Ugh, I mean to Shirayuki! Y-you gave her a carrot or she misses you! Either way s-she loves you!"

"Ah." He looked down to see Shirayuki glaring at Orihime. Ichigo began petting her again, which seemed to make Shirayuki less... hostile.

"Kurosaki-kun, I have a question."

He looked up. "What is it?"

"Why did you give Shirayuki to Rukia?"

He felt the bunny snuggle a bit into his palm. "She needed a home, so I swallowed my pride and presented her as an apology gift."

Orihime tilted her head to the side. "For what?"

Ichigo sighed. "I guess... for judging her before I even gave us an actual chance to get to know each other. You know, thinking she's a heartless, spoiled rich bitch and all that jazz. Course I still don't really know her and in all honesty I don't want to, but it still wasn't like me to judge like that since I never liked it when people judged me for the color of my hair."

"But wouldn't the apology be better if she knew who it was from?"

Ichigo shook his head. "Can't let that happen."

Orihime became confused. "Kurosaki-kun, why do you want to leave here so much?"

Even Shirayuki was curious about this unanswered question.

Ichigo paused in his petting and looked up at Orihime. His gaze was so intense that she blushed and looked away.

"I just have to. That's all," he said so softly, that she almost thought he didn't say anything. Even Shirayuki had to strain her ears a bit.

She glanced back to see that same expression on his face. The same one he had on the first night of his arrival. The expression that told her he was no longer in their world. It was so irresistibly hot. It made her want to hold him tight to her bosom, to tell him that everything will be alright, to tell him that she'll be his shoulder should he need to cry and that she'll always be there for him.

Realization made her gasped to which she couldn't deny it anymore.

Inoue Orihime has fallen in love with Kurosaki Ichigo.

* * *

Rukia made her way up the stairs after bidding her dates goodnight. _That was some date. Yumichika and Ulquiorra's kisses probably left huge marks though. But damn, Hitsugaya Toushirou isn't as shy as when I first met him. Just thinking about his kisses are making me weak again._ Tripping on a step just emphasized her last statement.

When she opened the door to her room, she dropped her purse.

"Hey Rukia," said the figure in one of her comfy chairs.

After getting over her shock, she smirked and ran to him as the door closed.

* * *

_Preview for the next chapter_

_"I've missed you."_

_Rukia smiles, "I've missed you, too."_

_He wrapped his arms around her small frame and planted a gentle kiss upon her lips._

* * *

**There you have it everyone! Smart Shirayuki, eh? Any guesses on who the figure is? **

**I'm going to try my best to update like I use to or at least not once every two months. I hope everyone liked it! Reviews motivate me, darlings so PUSH THAT REVIEW BUTTON!**

**Until next time =]**


	6. Episode 5: Dateapalooza Part II

**Mkay, so it's been a little over a month. At least it hasn't been two, right? **

**Thank you so much for your reviews. You guys are amazing!**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Nope.**

* * *

Rukia giggled as she hopped into the lap of the man in her chair.

He looked into her bright violet eyes. "I've missed you."

Rukia smiled. "I've missed you, too."

He wrapped his arms around her small frame and planted a gentle kiss upon her lips. She, aside from kissing him back, wrapped her own around his neck.

When they parted, he started stroking her cheek. "So, did you have fun on your date?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

He pouted and playfully pinched her bum. "You're suppose to say, 'No! I had a horrible time because I wasn't with you!'"

Rukia couldn't help but laugh.

His smile returned and he leaned in to kiss her forehead. "God, I miss hearing that sweet sound."

The raven-haired girl blushed and placed herself at the crook of his neck. "So you're going to be here for four days, huh?"

"Just about." He began playing with her hair. "Have to make sure that my little Rukia is in good hands."

She snuggled closer. "I am now."

He smiled and brought her chin up. "You sure are." And with that, he kissed her with more passion.

There's nothing like a good, mini make-out session before bed.

* * *

The Next Morning

"Good morning everyone!!" greeted the ever so cheerful Inoue Orihime.

What's the use? It's always the loud, screechy "Good morning!!". The guys are attempting to accept it.

"Well guys, it seems our mystery visitor, snuck into our house last night. Even I didn't know he was here, until this morning!" She giggled. "He's such a sneak, sleeping with Kuchiki-san last night."

The clanking of breakfast utensils stopped at the last sentence.

Awkward silence...

"HE DID WHAT?!?!?!" roared Renji, Shuuhei, Ikkaku, and Grimmjow.

Orihime tilted her head to the side. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Not at all." Toushirou said sarcastically. His hand was in a tight fist.

"But all I said was that the mystery guest slept with Kuchiki-san last night."

Orihime looked around the table. She saw many veins popping.

Silence...

Ichigo, with his eyes closed, calmly took a loud slurp of his coffee.

More silence...

Gin thoughtfully rubbed his chin. "My my... such a predicament..."

"I'm gonna fucking castrate that guy..." mumbled a very irritated Grimmjow. _I should've fucked her the __night I apologized! _

"Oh no, oh no! My poor Rukia!" weeped Yumichika. "How cruel to deflower my precious peacock!"

Many eyebrows rose.

The clearing of the throat caught their attentions. Each person in the room whipped their head towards the sound and saw the male figure, leaning against the door frame with his hands in his pockets.

He was a handsome young man, no older than twenty-five they presumed. He was about as tall as Renji with beautiful gray eyes and messy maroon-colored hair. His dark blue dress shirt, was unbuttoned enough to see his pectorals and two of his well toned six pack. His black jeans as well as the silver chain attached, hung loosely around his waist and various jewelry adorned his neck, wrist, and fingers.

Orihime looked over the gorgeous punk. _Oh wow, Kuchiki-san._ She cleared her throat and smiled brightly at their guest. "Good morning and welcome!" She then turned towards the guys. "Gentlemen, please allow me to introduce our not so mystery guest, Kanou Ashido-san!"

The name struck a bell with many of them. Ashido was the last guy that Rukia dated before the show. The last time most of them checked, he and Rukia had a good thing going before he had to take over his family's company. They couldn't see each other much afterwards and had no choice but to break up.

He calmly straightened himself from the wall and walked over to the empty seat at the head of the breakfast table. Every eye was on him as he sat down. A maid then brought him his dish.

Awkwardly quiet breakfast, continued...

Orihime looked around the room. She could feel the heavy tension.

Suddenly, Grimmjow slammed his fists against the table, causing Orihime to jump.

"Dammit! Why the hell did you have to sleep with her last night?!" he yelled.

Everyone but Ashido stared at him.

"What?! Everyone's thinking it!"

A few of them sweatdropped. He was right.

Ashido slowly brought his glass up to his lips. "Because she asked me to."

Grimmjow growled. "Bullshit." _She wouldn't even let me find out if she was wearing a thong or a bikini!_

The maroon-haired man glanced over at the wrestler. "She's still a virgin, if that's what you're asking."

He blinked. "... what?"

Ashido closed his eyes and said nonchalantly, "In short, I did not stick my penis up Rukia's vagina, so calm your hormones."

Many of them fell over. The ones who were slightly composed, had pieces of their hair sticking up and twitching eyes.

Orihime sweatdropped. _My... such... um... bluntness. _

Ashido continued eating.

* * *

The carnival was in town, so that was where Rukia, Renji, Shuuhei, and Ichigo went for their date.

Shuuhei and Renji were ecstatic when they got out of the limo, while Ichigo just looked bored.

She raised an eyebrow and then slightly elbowed him in the side. "Come on. Even _you_ could have fun at a carnival, Mr. Frowny-poo."

Ichigo just scowled as she grabbed Renji and Shuuhei's hands and booked towards the fun. He sighed and reluctantly followed after.

"Okay! What should we go on first?! The ferris wheel, the swings, or the scrambler?" asked Rukia.

"Swings!"/ "Scrambler!"

Renji and Shuuhei glared at each other.

Rock, paper, scissors began.

After three rounds, Shuuhei's scrambler won.

The four of them went on. Rukia sat in between Shuuhei and Renji, while Ichigo sat next to Renji on the end.

Rukia lifted her arms for the ride. Renji and Shuuhei smirked at one another.

"One." yelled Renji.

"Two." cried Shuuhei.

"Three!" screamed both as they began tickling Rukia.

She squirmed and screeched in laughter. Their antics made the ride a little more interesting since their cart was more out of control than the rest. In fact, their cart seemed like it might just let loose and fly from the site.

When the ride stopped, a photographer appeared in front of their cart. "Kuchiki-san! May I take a picture of you and your friends for our article about 'Carnival Week'?"

Rukia gave a bright smile. "Sure!"

The photographer waited for them to pose, then excitedly counted to three.

He looked at the picture on his digital camera.

They were pressed cheek to cheek with Rukia's hand on the cheeks that weren't touching hers. Renji held a peace sign, while Shuuhei had bunny ears over him. Rukia was winking and they all held huge smiles.

The photographer blinked. "Um... excuse me, Kuchiki-san, but wasn't there four of you?"

All heads swerved to where Ichigo was sitting, to find it empty.

* * *

Ikkaku and Yumichika were in the workout room when Ashido entered.

"Hey, Kanou! Way to tell Jaggerjacks off this morning!" Ikkaku high-fived said man.

Ashido then nodded towards the bokkens. "Care to join, Ikkaku-san?"

A large grin took over his face. "Hell yeah!"

Ashido tossed him the other bokken and they both got into a stance.

Ikkaku was ready. "So as the only son of the Kanou family, I've heard that you're quite talented in any type of combat."

He smirked. "It's possible."

The sound of clashing wood, rang throughout the room.

* * *

"Hmph... that Ichigo... he's such a party pooper." grumbled one Abarai Renji.

Shuuhei continued looking around. "I wonder where he went off to. You'd think we'd be able to spot him with that loud hair of his."

"Who cares?" shrugged Rukia. "We shouldn't let him spoil our fun." She pulled them towards the swings. "Come on! Race ya there!"

They happily chased her towards the ride.

That's all it was, really. They went on ride after ride and enjoyed every bit of it.

When they were running towards another ride, they spotted a small band that was trying to collect money for charity. There was even a little boy and girl dancing in front of them.

Rukia caught eyes with the children in which the children stopped dancing.

The little boy blushed while the little girl smiled. She rushed over, grabbed Rukia's hand, and pulled her back to where they were dancing.

Rukia giggled and began dancing with the little girl.

The little boy, feeling left out, took Rukia's other hand and began dancing as well.

The audience grew and the band played with even more fervor.

Renji and Shuuhei, not to be outdone by children, jumped in as well. The sound of laughing filled the air along with the upbeat tune.

The crowd began to clap along.

The two men pulled a child onto their shoulders and started tribally dancing around the little Kuchiki.

Rukia's smile grew as she did a solo dance in the middle and laughed as the children were using their ride's head, as a drum.

Money was pouring out of the buckets, boxes, and hats by the end of their performance.

* * *

Ikkaku was thrown into the wall with a mighty thrust from Ashido.

The latter went over and offered him a hand. Ikkaku took it as he heard Yumichika scoff.

"Tch, well that wasn't beautiful at all!"

Ashido and the bald man sighed. Even throughout their battle, he criticized how their techniques were ugly.

"It's a battle!" roared Ikkaku. "Where the hell does it say that a battle has to be beautiful?!"

Yumichika rolled his eyes. "It doesn't need to be written. It's _implied_!"

He smacked his face. "Oh for the love of... whatever! I've been in many battles and this is how they all end up! Some, far more worse than this one. Hell, people die!"

"Ikkaku-san," questioned Ashido, "You fight for our country. Is that correct?"

Said man held a cocky smirk. "That's right! Under the lead of General Zaraki Kenpachi!"

"I see. Defending our country is an important job. Do you ever have time for yourself?"

He shrugged. "Eh, not really. You see, whenever I do have spare time, I use it to train to get stronger. Honestly, this is my first vacation in a while. General Zaraki told me I deserved it."

"Ah." nodded the younger man.

At that instant, Ashido dodged a fist that was flying towards his head from behind.

Yumichika and Ikkaku were startled. They didn't even notice him enter the room and further more, they couldn't believe how quickly Ashido dodged a sneak attack.

Grimmjow smirked. "Was I that obvious?"

Ashido dusted off his shoulder. "If you'd like to think that."

"How about a spar?" He put up his fists. "Or are you just too good for that?"

He just stood there, looking bored.

Grimmjow charged at him and Ashido blocked.

The wrestler grinned. "Give me your best shot, pretty boy."

* * *

Rukia, Renji, and Shuuhei had just finished the teacups ride and were getting off.

"Hey, Renji! Congratulations! You didn't puke this time!" She noticed his face was slightly green and giggled. "You alright?"

He seemed to have swallowed whatever threatened to come up and croaked, "Perfectly fine."

She smiled, then kissed his cheek. "Yes you are."

That seemed to give him strength and he was back to normal within a second.

Rukia turned around to see Shuuhei pouting. She raised a brow and then onto her tippy toes. A peck on his cheek and that pout disappeared.

Shuuhei smirked. "Challenge you to a rock climbing competition."

A gleam sparkled in her eye. "You're on."

Renji cheered from the side as Rukia and Shuuhei flew up the walls. They were awfully close. Rukia won the first and Shuuhei won the second. The tie breaker was intense, but alas, Shuuhei won.

Rukia twitched her nose. "You cheated."

"How?"

She pouted for a moment. "You did..." She then mumbled, "I just gotta think of how..."

Shuuhei let out a hearty laugh and pulled her close to him. He then whispered into her ear, "I was just too sexy that you couldn't take your eyes off of me and slowed down. That's how."

"Psh... yeah right."

She blushed as she heard his chuckle and felt him lick the shell of her ear. "Don't worry. You were doing the same to me." He kissed right below her earlobe. "Especially that cute ass of yours."

That sent chills down her spine. In her dazed state, she caught a glimpse of Renji, whistling and tapping his foot.

Rukia blinked, then lightly pushed against Shuuhei. He smiled and let her go. They returned to Renji.

"I'm kinda hungry." The growl from his stomach just emphasized his statement.

Shuuhei's stomach responded. "Me too."

The Kuchiki princess laughed. "Well you guys go get something to eat."

Renji tilted his head. "What about you?"

She shook hers. "I'm fine. I wanna go play some of the games."

"You sure you're going to be okay? You want us to bring you anything?" Shuuhei asked.

Rukia thought for a moment. "Um... maybe a watermelon smoothie? When you guys are done, of course."

They smiled at her. "Sure thing. We'll be back as soon as we get our food."

She nodded and wandered off to the game stands.

* * *

"Hey, Souta. Isn't that Kuchiki Rukia over there?"

Souta, a buff brunette, looked over to see Rukia eying the five foot stuffed Chappy at the shooting game. He let out a low whistle. "Sure is. Look at those legs."

Takahiro, his skinny blonde accomplice, nodded. "She's working that mini skirt, too."

Souta chuckled. "She looks pretty lonely. I think we should go fix that."

His friend laughed. "So long as she fixes my problem down under as well."

"Gross, but true."

The two head over to an unsuspecting Rukia.

* * *

"Damn. Forgot my money at home." Rukia mumbled to herself. She looked up at Chappy and sighed.

"Would you like for me to win you something?"

Rukia turned around to see Souta and Takahiro.

Souta, the one who asked in the first place, stepped next to her and gave the game guy five dollars for five shots. The guy flipped the switch and the targets began moving. Well, just because he's buff, doesn't mean he has good aim. His last one just barely hit a duck.

He held a triumphant smirk as he handed Rukia a three inch tall squirrel.

Rukia took it. "Um... thank you."

"No problem, baby." He shot her a suggestive look.

She wrinkled her nose and took a step back.

Takahiro took a step closer to her side. "So we've been thinking, Rukia-san. Since you're alone, would you like to keep two lonely gentlemen company?"

She took another step back. "No. Thank. You." she spat.

Souta chuckled and took two steps forward. "Come on now. I just won you that fabulous squirrel and you can't give us a reward?" He leaned down and was an inch away from her ear. "I'd love to have those luscious, pink lips of yours around my-

Rukia attempted to slap him, but Takahiro caught her hand. She tried to yank it back, but it was futile. That "fabulous squirrel" hit the dirt.

Souta laughed and grabbed her chin. "What a naughty girl." He laughed harder as he caught her knee from kicking his pride. "You don't wanna do that. _That_ part's going to bring you a helluva lot of pleasure."

The game guy gripped his fists. He wanted to do something, but the guy's muscles were quite intimidating.

Souta forcefully brought Rukia's face closer as Takahiro brought his other hand to her ass. At the touch of her butt, she fought harder, but Souta's grip on her knee tightened tremendously. She let out a small gasp of pain.

He smirked and just as he was about to kiss her... he felt cold plastic against his forehead.

Souta opened his eyes, mid-pucker, to see surprised violet eyes. She was staring at the object against his head. He looked at the object and noticed that it was one of the guns used for the shooting game. Sure the gun was loaded with tiny metal balls and couldn't kill, but it was still a shocker.

His eyes followed the hand that was holding the gun and met a pair of angry amber eyes.

Within that second, Ichigo pulled the trigger, sending Souta back, wrapped his arm around Rukia, shot Takahiro between his eyes, and kicked Souta in the stomach, when he tried to grab Rukia.

Ichigo held Rukia tightly to his chest as he glared at Souta. The buff moron was getting back up and even returned his glare.

Souta stood up straight. "Just who the hell are you?"

Rukia finally got out of her shock and looked up. She was even more surprised now, then she was before. "I-Ichigo?"

His grip on her tightened. "Kurosaki Ichigo. The party pooper."

"Psh." he scoffed. He charged towards them only to have Ichigo shoot at his nose, causing a slight distraction, and was sent flying into the next stand by Ichigo's powerful foot.

Takahiro finally stood up and tried to attack Ichigo from behind. His face met with a ball, then the handle of the gun, and then another ball. His nose was bleeding as he hit the ground.

Rukia blinked at the sight of it all. She felt him let go of her and she quickly turned around.

His back was towards her as he returned the gun and gave the guy five bucks for the five bullets.

Rukia just stared. _...unbelievable..._

The game guy congratulated Ichigo, who in turn, asked something from him. He smiled and left the counter as Ichigo turned towards Rukia.

They held a short staring contest before Ichigo spoke. "I believe that you, are the first person that I've ever met... that was capable of getting into danger at a carnival... in broad daylight."

Rukia snapped out of her shock. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, come on." Ichigo deadpanned. "Where were those 'magnificent martial art moves' that Urahara was bragging about?"

"I was about to take them out until you came along!" Rukia argued. _Liar..._

Ichigo scoffed, "Yeah right. If I didn't come along, you would've been dragged off somewhere and raped!"

"That's besides the point!"

"Then what _is _the point, _princess_?" Ichigo was getting pretty heated as well.

Rukia growled. "The point is... the point is... the point _is_ that you were missing the whole day and you just _now_ show up?!"

"Hah! That's your best?! I saved your sorry ass didn't I?! Does it matter if I didn't want to spend the day with her ungrateful royal painess?"

"Ungrateful?! I'll have you know that I had every intention of thanking you until you started with me!"

"Load of crap!"

"Fine!! Thank you, you egotistical bastard!!"

"You're damn welcome, you whiny bitch!!"

They were both breathing hard by this point.

The game guy returned and tapped Ichigo on the shoulder. Rukia turned around and continued to fume. She heard him say "thanks" and heard his steps come closer.

Just as he was passing her, he threw something large in front of her face and continued walking with his hands in his pockets.

When she pulled it away, she was about to scream at him some more, but noticed the object. It was a five foot tall, stuffed purple Chappy. She blinked at it. The one that was hanging was white and a bit dirty from dust, but this one was brand new and just fresh out of the box! Rukia turned around towards the game guy to see him nod towards Ichigo and winked.

Rukia stared in disbelief at Ichigo's retreating form for a couple of minutes longer. She then ran after him and before he knew it, he had a pair of skinny arms wrapped around his midsection.

Ichigo couldn't lie. He was surprised, especially after their little screaming contest.

Her face was pressed into his back and she whispered softly, "Thank you, Ichigo."

He closed his eyes. "And to think... you got into all that trouble, because of your love for a stupid stuffed animal."

He then began walking towards the parking lot and limo, leaving Rukia standing there with her stuffed toy. _Guess that's his way of saying "You're welcome"._

* * *

There was a knock at Rukia's door.

"Come in." said Rukia from her dresser. She was in the process of taking off her jewelry.

Renji entered and quietly shut the door behind him.

She quickly glanced at her visitor and then back at the mirror. "Hey, Renji. What's up?"

His expression was one of guilt as he walked over to her. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Rukia sighed. "Renji. I've told both you and Shuuhei over a thousand times already. I'm fine."

"I know, but-

"No buts, Renji." she turned around. "It wasn't your fault. I told you guys to leave me."

Renji stood about three feet in front of her. They held a staring contest and she realized that he wasn't going to let it go so easily.

She took the few steps forward and wrapped her arms around his waist.

He brought his arms around her shoulders and placed his chin on top of her head. "Rukia..."

Rukia took in his scent and let it out in a sigh. "Renji. I. Am. Fine."

She felt his hand on her cheek as he slowly brought her head back. Her eyes met his as he slowly bent down. He gently pressed his lips against her own and her lids shut.

It was a slow and passion filled kiss. His hand began stroking her cheek as hers were rubbing his back.

He kept her molded to his front as he deepened the kiss. She let out a soft moan and tightened her grip on his shirt.

When he slowly pulled away, she gave a slight whimper and he chuckled. "Rukia... you don't understand, do you?"

She looked at his face from his mouth, to his nose, to those truthful eyes.

"The fact that you were harassed today... and I was somewhere nearby... the thought of those men doing _anything_ to you... just makes my blood boil nonstop." The small hands that were gently stroking his cheeks calmed him down a bit. "Ever since the day we met in Rukongai, all I've ever wanted, was to protect you."

He smiled at her and turned his head slightly, to kiss the tiny fingers that were dancing across his face. "You're really special to me, Rukia. I want to be there for you when you need me."

Rukia moved her feather light touch from against his lips, over his nose, over his eyebrow, and back to his cheek. "Renji." She brought his face down for a chaste kiss. "You're always there for me." Her eyes sparkled. "I'm hoping that it's going to stay that way."

Renji kissed her cheek and then the side of her mouth. He whispered against her. "Damn straight, it will." and with that, he enveloped her in another passionate kiss.

He moved them towards the couch, placed her in his lap, and continued with their session.

After years of friendship, they were finally taking their relationship to the next level.

* * *

_Preview for the next chapter_

_His long fingers covered her mouth. "Ah ah, Rukia-chan." Gin whispered playfully. "If you keep that up, we'll be found."_

_Rukia whimpered against his hand._

* * *

**So, exactly how many of you even thought of the possibility of the visitor being Ashido? There was the little IchiRuki moment that many of you were waiting for. I also liked the RenRuki. Actually, I am fully content with this chapter!**

**On another note: This really is a guess all you want story. Many ideas are running through my brain and many possibilities are popping up. So just because this is under Ichigo and Rukia doesn't necessarily mean it'll end that way. I'll give you plenty of fluff with many different characters. So quite frankly, you never know when I'm going to turn into a deceiving lil bitch ;D**

**Anyway, hope you all liked it!**

**Reviews motivate me darlings, so PRESS THAT REVIEW BUTTON!!!!**

**Until next time =]**


	7. Episode 6: Dateapalooza Part III

**IMPORTANT ALERT IMPORTANT ALERT!! In my summary, I've already warned of a high chance of rating change. Well guess what? That will most likely change in the next chapter considering I don't want to have to forget about it later. So this is another warning to keep an eye out for the transition. I'm not sure how everyone finds their stories, but if you're one to go under a type of rating and like my story, make a note that the next time it might be under M. Kapeesh? I had originally intended to do it for this chapter, but I figured it would be fair to give a final heads up.**

**There might be mistakes, but I'm human. Lol it happens. Trying to get this up before work so anyway...**

**I'd like to thank you guys for all the reviews! It really makes me happy to see new and regular readers. It shows me that my story is interesting and it's still keeping interest. You guys are amazing and now the fun is just beginning.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Nuh uh.**

* * *

"Wahooooooo!" cried a flying Ikkaku. He had just completed his tenth jump since they arrived and Grimmjow and Gin were hot on his trail.

Three blurs were seen as they turned and flung dirt up in the air. Grimmjow was beginning to pass, but then Gin swerved to the lead.

"Hey!" Grimmjow roared over the noise. The next jump was coming up and he wanted to hit it first.

Gin smirked underneath his helmet.

Ikkaku growled as he sped up. He sure as hell wasn't going to be outdone by them.

They swerved around the next turn and Grimmjow accomplished his mission of getting ahead. He laughed maniacally as he prepared himself for his stunt.

Just then, a new person entered their contest and before Grimmjow had a chance to protest, the person performed a 360 backflip. They had landed perfectly, too!

The wrestler was so stunned, that he just took the jump like a man and landed in front of the new member. Ikkaku and Gin followed suit.

A giggle emerged from the rider as she took off her helmet. "Your faces are just too cute!"

Grimmjow blinked a couple of times before placing a scowl on his face. Gin smiled and rubbed his head, while Ikkaku just exploded with a million of questions for her.

So the deal? Rukia had taken them to a dirt track in the middle of the woods, for a motocross date. After all, they were rugged men. Why not have a little fun on dirt bikes, no?

Rukia broke out the water bottles as they took a rest. "You guys did pretty well. Honestly, I didn't expect any of you to know any tricks." she laughed. "Guess you showed me wrong."

Ikkaku smirked. "Hey, I could say the same about you. Didn't think you actually like getting down and dirty."

"I must admit, Rukia-chan," Gin stated. "I too, didn't expect ya to like this kind of thing."

She shrugged. "Neither did I. This was my first time."

Grimmjow spit out his water. "What do you mean it's your first time?! You did a perfect friggin' 360 backflip!"

She looked up in thought. "Well... I saw that on T.V..." she blinked. "... and I thought it looked cool..." she blinked again. "... so I thought 'why not' and went for it..."

The guys looked at her in disbelief.

Rukia closed her eyes, turned her head back to them, and smiled. "So, who's up for the next round?"

* * *

Ashido was walking through the second floor halls, looking for a certain group of guys. He had already evaluated Yumichika, Ikkaku, and Grimmjow, yesterday. Gin and Ulquiorra were that morning. He had four left.

Just then, he bumped into something... or rather... someone.

"Oops! Sorry Kanou-san! I guess I was in such a rush, that I didn't realize where I was going!" Orihime said from below.

He smiled and offered her a hand. "Please, call me 'Ashido' and it's alright."

She blushed as she stood to her feet. "Thank you, Ashido-san."

"No problem, Orihime-san." he tilted his head. "If I may... why were you in such a hurry?"

Realization hit her face, "Oh yeah!" She began to frantically look around.

Ashido stood still as he watched her get on her hands and knees and lifted the bottom of a vase. "Um... were you looking for something?"

Orihime nodded as she placed the vase down and looked in the top. "I'm looking for Shirayuki. She ran away again!"

He sweatdropped as he watched her lift up his foot. _I'm pretty sure I'd know if I had a wad of rabbit stuck beneath my shoe... _

She continued looking in the oddest places and he took it as his cue to let her be. He had his own mission after all.

Before he even moved an inch, Orihime had stopped him. "If you see her, please let me know! I have to keep her safe for Kuchiki-san!"

Ashido gave a small nod. She resumed her search.

As he turned the other way, he saw a small ball of white fluff fly towards a hidden staircase by Rukia's room.

He raised an eyebrow and turned back to look at the oblivious assistant. He let out a sigh. _She'll probably just lose her again._

Ashido decided he'd go catch the bunny himself.

* * *

Grimmjow landed his double backflip with a grin. "Hah! Beat that, baldy!"

A vein popped on Ikkaku's head as he went for a bar hop. The landing was a little rough, so he cursed.

Course, he cursed even louder when Gin's frontflip flew past his head.

"Watch it, Ichimaru! You almost cleared my head right off my shoulders!"

Gin landed and turned his bike around towards Ikkaku. He lifted his visor up and sang, "Sorrryyyyy Ikkkkkkaakuuuuu-kunnnnnnn!"

Ikkaku growled and was stomping his way over to Gin, when Rukia came flying from above, performing her hart attack.

Both Ikkaku and Grimmjow, thought they were going to have their own heart attacks at her stunt. Gin watched on in amusement as he saw her return to her seat and landed perfectly.

He clapped his hands for her as she took her helmet off and bowed.

Grimmjow planted his feet in front of her and crossed his arms across his chest. "You were totally lying when you said this was your first time."

She smirked and mimicked him. "Was not."

He grinned himself. "Yeah. Alright." He rolled his eyes and drawled, "Whatever you say."

Rukia lightly hit him which caused him to cage her in his massive arms. She let a happy squeal escape as he attacked her neck, but soon turned stiff when she realized something.

He noticed and slightly pulled away. Her eyes were down and so he followed her gaze. Her under armor was bleeding by the lower arm.

Grimmjow furrowed his eyebrows and gently lifted her sleeve up. She winced in pain.

It was a small wound, but it bled and stung nonetheless.

He glanced up at her as she spoke. "Must've been when I fell a few landings back."

Ikkaku and Gin came closer to get a look.

"Oh my, Rukia-chan." Gin said as he inspected her arm. "We better clean this up before it gets worse." He then went off to the van to get the first-aid kit.

Ikkaku tried to look for something to stop her bleeding in the meantime, but Grimmjow had that covered.

The pro wrestler brought her arm to his lips as he lapped it up.

Rukia blushed and placed her other hand on his chest. "Grimm, don't do that! It's dirty!"

He smirked and brought her closer by the waist. He kissed up her arm and to her ear. "Ya know... I bet I could get ya to say that in bed as well..."

Her face went red as he gently rubbed her arm and kissed around her ear. His lips found hers and she melted immediately.

She felt someone take her wrist and something cold, stung her arm. Her eyes popped open to see Gin's smiling ones. He was disinfecting it while she was kissing Grimmjow.

Rukia tried to get Grimmjow to stop, but he just let Gin do the work and moved his free hand to the back of her head. He took the chance to slip his tongue into her mouth and her eyelids unconsciously shut again.

Gin bandaged her arm as if nothing was happening.

Ikkaku had decided to bring the picnic basket to them for a well deserved lunch break. He already had a rice ball in his mouth.

* * *

Interesting enough, it seemed that the staircase that Shirayuki had led him to, went up to a large, furnished attic.

Just when he thought it was a coincidence, he noticed her hopping over to a wooden ladder.

Ashido raised his eyebrow and eyed the ladder up. If he was correct, it should lead straight to the roof.

He looked back at the small, white bunny and met her eyes.

She blinked, then lifted her paw to the first step.

He didn't move.

After a few moments of silence, Shirayuki gave a small rabbit sigh and hopped over to Ashido. She bit the hem of his pants and began to tug him towards the ladder. _Come on! I know you were following me, now make yourself useful!_

Ashido didn't budge, but blinked in bewilderment.

The force of Shirayuki was strong, though. He could hardly believe when his feet were moving slowly across the room and before he knew it, he was in front of the ladder.

He felt her hop on his foot. The young man looked down to see her looking up at him with expectancy. "You want me to go up there?"

Shirayuki twitched her nose and nodded.

He looked up at the ladder and placed one foot on the step, but then felt another tug at his pant leg.

Looking down, he saw Shirayuki with a pleading expression. _Me too, please._

He smiled and bent down to pick her up. "You sure are an interesting little one."

Shirayuki happily nodded and snuggled into his arm. _Going up, bellhop! _

Ashido, not that he'd ever mention it aloud, felt really stupid, thinking he could understand a rabbit.

He climbed up and lifted the door above their heads. Red orange sky met his eyes. _Just as I thought... it's the roof..._

He went up a couple more steps so that his upper half was out in the nice summer breeze.

Ashido felt Shirayuki squirm in his arms and looked down. She was trying her best to hop out of his embrace. "Hey, easy. If you keep that up, you might fall four stories down."

She wouldn't though. Her direction remained the same as she was trying to go behind them.

Curious, Ashido turned around to see what got her so worked up.

He raised his eyebrow at what he saw. "So this is what you wanted, huh?"

* * *

After their lunch, Grimmjow and Ikkaku had decided to race again.

All three of them had forbid Rukia to ride the bikes for the rest of the day. She, of course, had argued and pouted, but she actually lost against Grimmjow and Gin's persuasiveness.

"Rukia-chan!!" sang a happy Gin.

She turned her head towards him. He was by the trees and waving his hand at her to follow him. She looked back to the racing men and then back to him. His smile grew as he saw her hop to her feet.

When she reached him, he took her hand and led them into the forest.

"Gin, where are we going?" she asked as she tried to keep up with his fast pace.

He smirked and replied, "You'll see."

Rukia looked down and noticed he had a bag in his other hand. She didn't have much time to wonder what was in the bag before they reached their destination.

It was a more private part of the Seireitei Central Park lake that she and Shuuhei had gone to for their date. It was very shallow and had various sized rocks surrounding it, so it was more like a pond.

Gin turned around and gave her a big grin. "I figured since you won't be riding anymore for the rest of the day, you and I should clean up." He held up the bag. "I even have a cute Chappy the bunny bathing suit for you."

Her eyes lit up and she began to squeal.

His long fingers covered her mouth. "Ah ah, Rukia-chan." Gin whispered playfully. "If you keep that up, we'll be found."

Rukia whimpered against his hand. Her arms were extended to the bag and she really wanted to see it.

Gin chuckled, removed his hand, and claimed her lips. He molded her small body to his lean and chiseled one. She let out a moan as he tilted her head back further.

He pulled back and gave her the bag. "Go on, dear. You can go change into your new suit behind a tree. Course, I don't mind if ya do it in front of me either."

She blushed and ran to a tree. As she changed, she couldn't help but to think about how these guys made her feel. _Damn... what's happening to me?_

When she emerged, she noticed that Gin had changed into his own black and red swim trunks. It was true. Underneath his clean and professional appearance, he was quite muscular. _Are all business men just like nii-sama? _The Chappy bikini that he bought her, had looked gorgeous on her as well. There was a small Chappy head on her left cup and the back of her bikini bottom even had a small, fluffy tail.

Gin came over and placed his hands on her hips. He let out a low whistle. "Don't you look good enough to eat?"

She was slightly startled by his expression. He looked a little too much like a hungry fox.

He led her to the pond and they both sat side by side on the rocks. As she got comfortable, he placed an arm around her and brought her close to him.

Gin leaned down and kissed the middle of her chest. She leaned back a little and closed her eyes. He kissed his way up her neck, jaw, chin, and then finally, her lips.

She kissed him back as his other hand ran itself across her arms, tummy, thighs, and legs. She could feel the dirt washing off. His feather light touching also gave her no choice but to let her small sighs escape. He smiled into their kiss and decided he wanted to taste her.

Before she knew it, she was sitting in Gin's lap, feeling his hands slowly gliding themselves up and down her back. She couldn't help herself. Rukia began to explore his chest with her own hands. She ran them across his pectorals, abs, shoulders, and arms. A small rumble was felt from his throat and his kiss became more forceful and she was soon tasting him. Their tongues did the tango and she felt his hand venture lower.

That's when she began to panic.

He had grabbed both of her wrists with his other hand and kept their kiss as his hand was dangerously close to the underside of her bikini.

She clenched her eyes tightly. _Shit... I can't..._

At that moment, Grimmjow and Ikkaku leaped into the pond with loud tribal yells.

The water had splashed over the two and broke their kiss.

Rukia blinked at Gin a couple of times, turned around to see the other two wrestling, and then back to him.

Gin smiled at her and patted her head. "Sorry, Rukia-chan. You were just so cute that I couldn't help myself."

Her face was still flushed from before, which satisfied him. He moved her back to her original spot next to him, but kept his arm around her. Their session repeated itself through her mind as she unconsciously leaned her head against his chest.

What she didn't notice though, was how quiet it had gotten. Grimmjow and Ikkaku had frozen in place... upon seeing the fox's true face... and _their_... red carpet debut...

* * *

After making Shirayuki promise to calm down (embarrassing, he knows), he let her go and watched her slowly hop towards the sleeping figure.

He had his arms behind his head and the rest of him was just lain out for the sun. His breathing was even and his chest rose up and down at a regular pace. His bright orange hair also matched the color of the sunset.

Shirayuki sniffed his ear, which caused him to stir slightly. She tilted her head to the right. After observing him for a few more minutes, she lightly kicked her feet off the tiles and landed on his chest.

Ichigo's eyes opened immediately and were met by a pair of black ones. He blinked at his company. "How do you always manage to find me?"

The little white bunny rubbed her nose against Ichigo's, then pulled away to give him a bunny smile.

He couldn't help but to offer her a small smile in return. His hand moved on its own will to pet her as his gaze moved to the sky. "I take it Inoue's looking for you?"

Shirayuki nodded. _Under the refrigerator... in the trashcans... under a vase... in a teacup... under Ashi-san's foot... _She rolled her eyes.

Ichigo glanced at his furry friend. She looked a bit irritated.

He sighed and continued his gentle stroking. It usually calms her down. "You know... you can't keep running away from her every time Rukia leaves. That might upset Rukia."

Shirayuki jerked her head up from under his palm, looking a bit worried. _I don't want to upset Ruki-sama! I just don't want to be left with that other lady! _She started to shake. _I don't want to upset Ruki-sama... no upset Ruki-sama... no no... _

The orange-haired man noticed her shaking and immediately lifted her in front of his view. The poor thing looked like she was about to cry.

Ichigo quickly sat up and softly placed her against his chest. "Hey..." he spoke softly. "Stop that... you're gonna make yourself sick..." He rubbed her fur in a slow rhythm. "You have nothing to worry about."

The small animal sniffled and then pressed her face in the crook of Ichigo's neck. _I love Ruki-sama... can't she just put me in Ichi-sama's care until she gets back? _She pulled away and looked up. _You were the one who took care of me before anyway!_

Ichigo's eyes softened. "You really do miss Rukia, don't you?"

"Don't you, Ichigo-san?"

Said man swiftly turned his head towards the new voice. He saw that Ashido stood about three feet away from them._ When did he get there? _"Don't I what?"

Ashido gave him a polite smile. "Miss Rukia, too? Sorry, didn't mean to eavesdrop."

Ichigo turned away and sighed. "It's okay. Probably look psycho, talking to a rabbit... and no, I really could care less."

The maroon-haired man gave a light chuckle as he sat down next to them. "I see... and don't worry. She made me look the same way."

It went silent.

"So... congratulations upon rescuing Rukia yesterday."

Ichigo scoffed and let Shirayuki rest in his lap. "It was nothing."

"She informed me that you were missing for the entire day up until that point." Ashido paused. "If I may ask... where were you at that time?"

Shirayuki looked up from her position in his lap. His bangs were covering his eyes from Ashido, but she could clearly see his dazed state. She put her two paws against his stomach and twitched her nose in worry.

Ashido didn't miss her actions though.

--

Flashback

Ichigo leaned back against the "Carnival Week" sign and stretched one leg out, while the other was bent at the knee. His right arm was draped over his knee while his left, balanced his sitting position. He was seated behind the sign, having a perfect view of the carnival grounds at a far distance. He could even see the large crowd that was being entertained by Rukia, Renji, Shuuhei, the kids, and the band.

After the scrambler, he realized that he couldn't do it. He let his head fall back and closed his eyes.

"_We'll all go tomorrow, okay?"_

_He smiled and nodded his head in excitement. "I wanna ride all the rides with you!!"_

_She laughed. "You will, sweetie."_

_Police sirens could be heard in the background._

Ichigo clenched his eyes tighter.

_A child's and a woman's laughter filled the air._

_The sirens got louder._

_Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeechhhhh! _

His eyes shot open. Sweat was dripping from every inch of his face.

Ichigo glanced up as he wiped his sweat. He raised an eyebrow as he noticed Rukia by a game stand. She was by herself. He saw two unfamiliar men make their way towards her with the smiles of demons.

Ichigo scowled.

The moment one stepped next to her to play and the minute the other started to eye her up from behind, Ichigo jumped to his feet.

--

"Yeah, Ichigo!!!" boomed a new voice.

He, Shirayuki, and Ashido almost fell off the roof at the sound of the voice. Each of them looked up, down, and sideways, searching for the source of the voice.

They then saw a hand near the bottom of the roof and before they knew it, Renji threw himself onto the surface. Shuuhei soon followed him.

"W-What were you guys doing?!" gaped a surprised Ichigo.

Shuuhei rubbed the back of his head. "Renji, Toushirou, and I were playing ping pong in the game room, until our ping pong ball threatened to jump off the balcony, so then Renji jumped after it and then I jumped after him and then we heard you guys talking and then here we are!" He ended with a huge grin.

The former three sweatdropped.

"So then... where's Toushirou-san?" asked Ashido.

Renji crossed his arms and grumbled, "That jerk left us there to die."

"Well you're alive, aren't you?" asked a nonchalant voice.

The five of them jumped as they quickly turned towards the opening of the attic. Well what do you know? Toushirou, with his cool self, was standing on the ladder with his upper half resting against the roof.

Ashido chuckled. "So you didn't feel like taking the window like they did?"

Toushirou raised an eyebrow. "Of course not. I'm not one to play Spider-Man and scale the walls."

Shuuhei and Renji pouted.

It suddenly hit Shuuhei. "Oh yeah! So, Ichigo. Where _were_ you that day?"

Renji had him in a headlock in no time. Shirayuki took that chance to hop into Ashido's lap as the two struggled. "Yeah! Where were you?! Huh?! Huh?! What were ya up to?!"

Ichigo let out a couple of strangled gasps and then flipped Renji over. "What are you? Crazy?! We're on the friggin' roof!! You could've killed us!"

The red head blinked at the sudden switch, then made an attempt to attack him again. "Stop avoiding the question!" They were both holding each other's collar by this time.

"I took a walk off the grounds!"

Renji stopped pulling and held a dumbfounded expression.

Shuuhei scratched his head. "That's it?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Duh. I just hate carnivals."

There was a huge gust of wind and before they realized it, Ichigo and Renji were tumbling off the roof.

Ichigo quickly grabbed onto the siding and Renji immediately clamped himself around Ichigo's waist.

"Let go, you big oaf!" roared a panicked Ichigo.

"No way, strawberry! If I'm gonna die, you're coming with me!" he screamed back.

Ashido slowly crawled over to Toushirou with Shirayuki in hand. "Guess we should've found a different spot to chat." He handed the rabbit to the young law student. He then turned back to see Shuuhei teasing Ichigo and Renji.

Toushirou began to walk down the ladder with a bored expression. "They never learn."

Ashido sweatdropped as he watched Shuuhei tickle Ichigo's nose. _He does realize that we're four stories up, right?_

"You know, I should let you guys fall. Then I would be able to win Rukia's heart, no problem!" laughed Shuuhei.

Ashido sighed. _Yup, he knows._

"Shuuhei, you bastard! What a coward move!" roared Renji.

"I don't even want her heart!" cried Ichigo.

Shuuhei continued to laugh.

"Hey! What are you guys doing?"

All four of them looked down to see Rukia looking up in interest. Gin, Grimmjow, and Ikkaku were getting out of the limo.

Renji started laughing and waved a hand at her. "Ah nothing, Rukia! Just hanging around! Hahahaha!" He was moving so much that Ichigo was beginning to lose his grip.

"Stop that you big buffoon! We're gonna-

Ichigo grabbed onto an unsuspecting Shuuhei. All three were about to fall completely off the roof until Ashido flung himself towards them and grabbed Shuuhei's hand. Ichigo held onto Shuuhei's arm for dear life. He also hooked his legs around Renji's waist to prevent him from falling as well. Renji looked up at Ichigo with a goofy smile at realization.

Grimmjow and Ikkaku were rolling on the ground together, both dying of laughter. Gin smirked at his competitions' stupidities. Rukia had to smother a laugh. She had to admit though, the sight of them hanging like that, was truly amusing.

* * *

After speaking with Ashido about the events, she went out her balcony to see the stars. Shirayuki hopped over to her and rubbed her nose against Rukia's soft legs.

She laughed and bent down to pick her up. "How was my baby, today?" Rukia faked a stern face. "I heard that you ran away from Inoue again."

Shirayuki looked away guiltily.

Rukia smiled softly and kissed her on the forehead. "I'm not mad. Just worried." Shirayuki looked up. "What if something happens to you when you're by yourself? What will I do then? Hm?"

The small mammal snuggled herself under Rukia's chin.

"You really love that rabbit, huh?"

Rukia turned around to find Grimmjow sitting on the railing of her balcony. He smirked and extended his hand to her. She took a few steps closer and he pulled her all the way. She found herself in between his legs and comfortably tucked underneath his chin.

His masculine scent was very strong and was quite luring. "Um... Grimmjow? Do... do you know who gave me Shirayuki?"

Shirayuki's ears perked up at the mention of herself.

He bent his head down and kissed the top of her head. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes." She rubbed a spot behind her bunny's ear. "She's very special to me and I just want to know who to thank. That's all. So if you know, please tell me..."

Rukia looked up into his azure eyes. They were such a beautiful shade and she couldn't help but to accept his unusually gentle kiss. His lips slowly massaged her own. He had to hold her arms up, less she forgets and drops the most important thing to his plan.

He could feel the bunny shiver in Rukia's arms and the corners of his mouth were slowly rising up.

"_Because if she knew it was from me, that might just decrease my chances of going home." Ichigo looked around the table. "In which case... if anyone tells her... you're as good as dead."_

Grimmjow pulled a few centimeters away, his lips brushing against Rukia's as he spoke the words that could seal their fate, "You're welcome."

* * *

_Preview for the next chapter_

_This was it. The elimination was now down to just three men. She made eye contact with each one of them. _

"_Ichigo... you've been begging to go home since you got here... am I correct?"_

"_...yes..."_

_Grimmjow held a triumphant smirk._

* * *

**How'd you guys like it and exactly how many of you were thinking that Gin was actually going to rape her after that last preview? So I decided to use the color of Anime Gin's eyes instead of the supposedly blue/green. I just think his "red carpet debut" suits him wayyyyyyy better. You guys also got to know what Ichigo was doing when he disappeared at the carnival and a small foreshadowing of what's to come for a small amount of my plot. Naughty naughty Grimmy-poo, right? Well anyway, will Ichigo be sent home like he wished?**

***Heavy sigh* You guys were so spoiled in this chapter. Haha**

**Well I'd like to thank you again for your reviews. So long as you continue to review, I'll continue to write for you. They motivate me darlings, so PRESS THAT BUTTON AND LEAVE ME A NICE ONE!!!**

**Until next time =]**


	8. Episode 7: Deceit is Born

**Okay, okay... so I was close to going another two months without updating... I'M REALLLLLYYYYY SORRRRRYYYYY!!!! Hm... that's all I seem to be doing anymore is apologize, but hey, I need to. Work and school has been piling up and today was the only day I could do this. But anyway, I'd like to thank all of you wonderful people who still stick close to this story and those of you who ventured off, well hopefully you'll find your way back to me again. And yes, there will be a lemon... somewhere.... just not sure where yet. Probably with the winner, since I don't want Rukia to be a big slut in this. **

**Oh and to the reviewer who was wondering... Nope, Shirayuki cannot speak. You get to read her thoughts, but some of her wants does eventually get through to people =]**

**Here ya go and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Not in 2008 and not now nor apparently EVER!!**

* * *

Rukia's eyes widened at his words and she pulled back to look him dead in the face. "You mean... you did?"

Shirayuki got over her shock from Grimmjow's words. _No he didn't! _

Grimmjow nodded and gave her his best apologetic look. "I still felt guilty about that challenge."

The Kuchiki princess raised a delicate eyebrow. "Grimmjow, you drowned my room in colorful roses and showered me in kisses. That was enough of an apology."

He chuckled and gently brushed the stray bang away from her beautiful face. "Not in my opinion. I figured that I wanted to do everything in my power to deserve your forgiveness."

Shirayuki started to shake her head furiously. _He didn't! He didn't! Ruki-sama, don't believe him!_

Rukia looked down into her arms at her uneasy bunny. If the heiress wasn't careful, she could possibly drop her pet. "Shirayuki, what's wrong?"

The blue-haired male glanced down at the rabbit and placed his large hand over her. "She's probably remembering the day I bought her." Shirayuki stopped and stared at him in horror. Grimmjow smirked. "She struggled quite a bit at the pet store. As you already know, I'm not very gentle with many things. You're kinda lucky this rabbit was still alive when you got her."

Said rabbit tried to bite him, causing him to jerk his hand back before she could sink her teeth in.

"Shirayuki!" cried Rukia. She kept petting her bunny and kept whispering for her to calm down. Her eyes met Grimmjow's. "Did you traumatize her or something at the pet shop?"

He shrugged. "Probably... but she was the only white bunny and I had to get her for you."

Rukia sighed. "Well thank you for not killing her when you did. By the way, why didn't you put your name on the note?"

Shirayuki shut her eyes in frustration. _BECAUSE IT WASN'T HIM!!_

The wrestler tilted his head to the side. "Thought it was obvious. I'm pretty sure that I was the only one in the house who fucked up."

Rukia took a moment to think. Now that it was in her head, he had a point. No one in the house screwed up as badly as he did and no one else really should've had anything to be sorry about. She smiled and even giggled.

"I can't believe I was so oblivious." She looked up at Grimmjow with a large smile. "Thank you," she raised herself to her toes so that her mouth was a breath away, "Grimmy..." and closed the gap.

He smirked against the kiss and slipped his tongue into her mouth to deepen it.

They were squishing Shirayuki until the poor thing couldn't take it anymore and plopped herself out from between them.

She did everything in her little power to try to get Rukia away from him, including pulling at her slipper and hopping on her foot. _It's not him!! Stop it! It wasn't him!!_

She even tried to bite Grimmjow's ankle, but the wrestler tossed his foot, along with the bunny, to the side. He then lifted Rukia onto the railing so that he didn't have to lean down anymore.

Shirayuki landed on her tail at the toss, shook her head, and glared at the jerk devouring her owner. _There was no pet store! I got lost and Ichi-sama found me!! He took care of me!! He's sorry for getting off on the wrong foot with Ruki-sama!!_

Her ears then flopped down in depression. _Ruki-sama... please... no..._

The small mammal quickly gathered herself up, rushed off the balcony and towards the door. She was a bunny on a mission and was to be damned if she let her Ruki-sama believe such a lie without a fight.

* * *

It had been a long day for nearly all of them.

Shuuhei, Renji, and Toushirou were playing cards in their room since they weren't quite tired yet. They played poker considering Toushirou absolutely refused to play go fish. Shuuhei and Renji only agreed only after they decided that the chocolate chip cookies would be the chips.

Ulquiorra sat in his own bed, continuing an outline he had started that day. It was his numberless attempt at a romance novel that actually had a happy ending. The outline itself wasn't so bad.... considering he kept erasing everything so that there was nothing on the piece of paper. He just couldn't get into it without thinking of a tragedy.

Ashido and Urahara were having a nice chat in the main lounge. Things involving the past day's events and Kuchiki Byakuya's return.

We all know where Grimmjow was.

Yumichika, Ikkaku, and Ichigo were all back in their room. The first two completely passed out.

Yumichika had complained before about not getting enough beauty sleep and acquiring wrinkles, that he scared himself to sleep.

Ikkaku was just tired out from all the motocross fun.

Ichigo laid wide awake in bed due to their snores. He looked over at the bunks, Ikkaku messily on top, Yumichika girlishly on the bottom. A bubble seemed to be forming from Yumichika's nose from his facial mask.

Ichigo scowled and turned his attention back to the ceiling. The darkness did help a bit, so he closed his eyes once again and tried to fall asleep.

It was working... that is until a train of scratches made him open his eyes again.

The scratches sounded frantic. He looked over to the door and saw a small shadow from the crack.

Sighing, he got out of bed to let his guest in.

The minute he opened the door, Shirayuki bit his sweatpant's hem and began tugging... quite harshly... for a bunny too, he might add.

He squinted his eyes from the bright hallway lights and bent down to her level. "Shouldn't you be in bunny dreamland right now?"

She kept at her task as if she didn't even hear him, slightly aggravating him. "Would you stop that? You're going to rip it."

Ichigo grabbed her up by her back and brought her face to face with him. He could tell she was very upset. She continuously tried to jump at his face, her eyes were very wide, and her limbs didn't seem to be in sync with her body whatsoever.

He stood up, cradled her in his arm, closed the door, and walked back to his bed.

Shirayuki's panic didn't seem to falter in the least. The young man had to make sure she was impossibly secure in his arms or else she'd get hurt.

When they reached his bed, he sat down and placed her on his pillow.

She scurried to him in an instant and threw her two paws against his stomach, reaching her nose up to look at him with desperate eyes. _Ichi-sama, it's terrible!!_

Ichigo started to pet her, knowing it usually calms her down. "What? Did you have a bunny nightmare?" He smirked at the silliness.

She hopped a couple of times, her nose just missing his chin each time. _This is no time to make fun of me!! But it _is_ a nightmare!! That blue-haired meanie told Ruki-sama that he gave me to her and she believed him!! He said he did what _you_ did!!_

His smirk lightened as the pressure of his stroking softened a bit. "Hey, what's got you so worked up?"

Shirayuki jerked from underneath his hand and started running in a small circle under is arm. She tried lifting his wrist up with her nose. _I'm trying to tell you!! You have to tell Ruki-sama the truth!! You have to save her from that monster right now!! Come, come!!!_

Ichigo couldn't figure her out. He watched as she frantically ran around on his bed. He chuckled. "Do you have to go to the little bunny's room?"

She rolled her eyes. _"Do you have to go to the little bunny's room?" No, I don't have to go to the little bunny's room! I have to get an orange-haired idiot to my gullible owner before that smurf-eating, steroid user from bumble-fuck convinces her to send you away!!!!_

Shirayuki was getting angrier by the second as Ichigo just sat there motionless. She glared up at him.

Ichigo saw the intensity of her glare and his playfulness faded. He noticed that she kept on nudging, well more like ramming into, his wrist.

Her eyes widened when she saw his lean body slowly lay itself down and his arm circling around her. "You're really testy, so I'm going to go with you're really tired."

She blinked rapidly at him. _Tired?! That's your final answer?! I'm fucking testy, because you humans are so unbelievably stupid!!!!!!!! _She was on the verge of hopping over his arm and off the bed, but his hand kept her still.

Ichigo began petting her again in a rhythmic motion. "You know... I kinda wish I knew what was upsetting you so much..."

Shirayuki stopped her squirming and glanced at his face. There was a gentle smirk playing on his lips. His stroking was just as gentle and very soothing.

She gave a bunny sigh. Her energy was draining away fast and so she decided to plop down into a comfortable position. It apparently can't be helped tonight, so why not let Ichigo pet her worries away.

Ichigo was glad that she was finally settling down. "...well... whatever it is... everything's going to be okay..."

Shirayuki reached up and pressed her nose to his cheek. She then snuggled her face right under Ichigo's jaw and closed her eyes. _I hope you're right, Ichi-sama..._

They were both fast asleep by the time Renji returned to the room.

Said tattoo man sat on his bed across from Ichigo's. He couldn't help but to let loose a small laugh at the sight. Ichigo and a baby rabbit were cutely cuddled together in sleep.

"What a pair..."

* * *

The Next Day

Breakfast had continued like usual and after that, everyone went on to relaxing before the big elimination that night.

Grimmjow was humming as he made his way to the workout room. He and Rukia had quite the fun little session last night. Of course they didn't go as far as he'd liked, but that was fine. She let him feel her up, but no clothing left either of them. He had never been so romantic with a girl before her. He had even tucked her in bed at the end of their fun.

The wrestler smirked. _I can't wait for the time when I can show her some real fun._

When he reached the room, he saw Gin lifting weights.

Gin raised his head and greeted him with that same creepy smile. "Hello."

"Hey..." Truth be told, Grimmjow was still a little nervous after seeing his eyes open the day before.

"So I take it that little Rukia-chan believed every word ya said last night?" Gin asked conversationally.

Grimmjow froze. _Fuck, he heard?_

He looked at Gin with an indifferent expression. "You heard?"

Gin shrugged as he brought the weights up again. "Was just passing by. The door was cracked, so anyone could've walked in if they so desired."

_Shit... this guy could ruin everything..._ "Is that so?"

The creepy man gave a light chuckle. "Don't worry. I'm not going to spoil it for you." He looked Grimmjow directly in the eyes. "In fact... I have a proposition."

Grimmjow lifted his eyebrow.

* * *

Kuchiki Byakuya had returned from his business affairs and was currently sitting across from his sister and Ashido, to discuss the contestants for elimination.

"Alright," began the older Kuchiki. "Ashido-san, please inform me of your observations of the following contestants. Let's start with Abarai Renji."

Rukia smiled at the name. "Definitely more than a simple childhood friend."

Byakuya raised his eyebrow.

She blushed, looked away, and reminded herself to focus on Ashido's analysis's.

Ashido had to bite his lip at their reactions, before giving his own opinion. "He's head over heels in love with her."

Byakuya gave no emotion. "Ayasegawa Yumichika."

"Beauty obsessed. Seems that that's the only attraction."

Rukia sweatdropped.

"Hisagi Shuuhei."

"Nice guy. Loves a good time. Appears to be a player."

"Hitsugaya Toushirou."

"Very smart, young man. He will go far in life. Doesn't seem to be the type to flaunt his girls around and is quite considerate of her."

Byakuya nodded. "Ichimaru Gin."

"He's polite, yet creepy."

"Jeagerjaques Grimmjow."

"Plenty of brawn, no brains. Reckless, inconsiderate, rude moron."

"That's not true!" Rukia interrupted. "He's very considerate! He was the one who gave me Shirayuki!"

The two men looked at her. Ashido raised his eyebrows at the last sentence. She looked away and they continued.

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Quite fascinating. Shows interest and yet none at the same time. Really wants to go home."

"Did you find out why?"

Ashido shrugged. "Couldn't find out, but it has to be by this elimination round."

"Why this round?" asked a curious Rukia.

"Couldn't find out. Seems like everyone in the house knows that he really wants to leave. Even Orihime-san and Urahara-san said so."

Byakuya nodded. "He even told me, to tell you to eliminate him next."

Rukia crossed her arms and scowled. "Maybe I will... if he's so against staying here... I'll end his misery tonight. Who's next?"

"Madarame Ikkaku."

"Too busy with the army that he won't have time. This is only his vacation."

Rukia's scowl deepened.

"Schiffer Ulquiorra."

"Depressing."

They all nodded in agreement.

"You did well, Ashido-san. Is there anything else that you'd like to add to your report?"

Ashido took a minute to think before answering. "Nothing that I can think of right now, but if something comes up before elimination, I'll let you know."

* * *

"I like you, _Grimmy,_" Grimmjow cringed at the nickname. It was cute when Rukia said it; it was creepy when Gin said it. "You're just like me. You'll do and say anything to get what you want..."

The wrestler narrowed his eyes. "Your point?"

Gin chuckled. "My point is... why don't we team up? We'll get rid of the rest of the contestants until you and I are the finalists. Then it'll be winner take all."

Grimmjow started considering it. He had to admit that it would be easier to eliminate the others with an accomplice. _Then when it's just me and him, she'd choose me rather than that freak of a creep._

A smirk broke out across his face. "Ya got yourself a deal, Ichimaru."

Gin put his weights down and held out his hand. "Let's shake on it then, partner."

Grimmjow took it with a hard grip and a grin to match the other man's. "Partner."

* * *

Rukia entered the elimination room to find her waiting men lined up on the platform. Orihime and Urahara followed her with the suitcase as well as Byakuya sitting himself down in his chair with Ashido to his right.

She smiled at her bachelors. "Good evening, gentlemen."

"Good evening."

"These past few days have been unbelievably fun. Every single one of you have brought me such joy, but I believe it ends for two of you tonight."

They nodded and the suitcase opened.

"I have reviewed Ashido's evaluations on each of you and thought it over very carefully," she picked up a compass from the case. "...and I believe the first compass should go to..." she smiled at him. "Toushirou."

Said genius smirked as he stepped off the platform and made his way to her.

She kissed his forehead as she gave him his compass. "You are amazing."

When he returned to his spot, she took out the next compass. "This next compass is going to a very special man..." she eyed him in the crowd. "Grimmjow."

Upon getting his compass, she gave him a big hug. "Thank you again... for giving me Shirayuki..."

The last part didn't go unnoticed by the people in the room. Gin allowed his grin to get wider as did Grimmjow. Many were shocked and some were about to open their mouths when Ichigo cleared his throat.

He had to admit that he was a little taken aback as well, but so long as it wasn't him receiving that compass. He would get his wish tonight.

"Ichigo...h-" Renji murmured.

"Renji."

His eyes darted back to Rukia to find her holding out his compass.

She kissed him on the cheek. "A man who promises to always be there for me."

He smiled at her and returned to his spot, still worried about the outcome of the evening.

"A man of great romance... Gin."

He gave her a joyful hug that lifted her off the ground.

"Next... a man who always manages to make me laugh and keeps my face tomato red... Shuuhei."

She gave him a peck on the cheek as he claimed his compass.

"Your creativity intrigues me..." Yumichika begins to step down, "...Ulquiorra." The beauty lover was definitely let down.

After the novelist returned to his position, the tension was beginning to increase.

Rukia closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "Will the contestants who have not received their compasses, please come forward."

Ichigo, Ikkaku, and Yumichika slowly made their way off the platform and stood a few feet before Rukia.

This was it. The elimination was now down to just three men. She made eye contact with each one of them.

"Ichigo... you've been begging to go home since you got here... am I correct?"

"...yes..."

Grimmjow held a triumphant smirk.

Renji, Shuuhei, and Toushirou were on edge.

She looked at the bald soldier. "Ikkaku... because of your job... your schedule is quite hectic... is it not?"

"...yes. It is..."

The stylist was about ready to pee his pants. She gently smiled at him. "Yumichika... relax."

Toushirou's eyes widened at her response to the last man. _She told that beauty freak to relax..._

"Ikkaku... you're a really nice guy, but because of that schedule... I don't think it would work out." Her eyes held sorrow. "I'm sorry, but your journey with me has ended."

Ikkaku nodded and placed a sad grin on his face.

He stepped up and gave Rukia a tight hug. He whispered, "Its been fun..." and left the house without looking back.

It was now down to two.

Shuuhei looked on in horror. _She couldn't possibly be thinking to..._

The suspense was killing as Rukia looked between the two men in front of her.

Even Ashido was slightly antsy about the last contestant.

Yumichika looked at her in confidence, believing the same as the other people in the room.

Rukia's voice finally came again as she clutched the object in her hands. "The owner of this compass... is truly something else..."

Everyone listened intently.

"...no matter how hard I try... I find that he's hard to figure out... truly... bizarre..."

Renji swallowed. _Shit... Yumichika is as bizarre as they come... _

"Yumichika..." A smile broke out on his face.

Shirayuki finally made it to the elimination room just in time to see Rukia's final decision. _Ichi-sama..._

"... I'm sorry sweetie, but your journey with me has ended."

It took a few minutes for it to sink in for everyone. Then Yumichika stuttered, "W-What?"

Rukia looked at him regretfully. "Ashido and I have both noticed, that all you seem to care about is beauty... not necessarily me... I'm sorry."

Yumichika looked like a gaping fish and it took a couple of body guards to get him out.

When he left and it finally sunk in for the rest of them, Shuuhei and Renji both jumped off the platform in excitement. They launched themselves on Ichigo, to wrap their arm around his neck and give him noogies. Toushirou let a small smirk play at his lips and was thankful that, for once, he was wrong.

Grimmjow just scoffed and looked away as Gin thought about getting a snack afterwards.

Urahara and Ashido let out the breaths that they didn't even realize they were holding. Orihime held a wide-eyed shocked expression, while Byakuya showed no emotion whatsoever. He did however, watch Shirayuki, as the little bunny hopped around the room in joy.

Ichigo was the only one still in shock as his eyes stayed glued to Rukia's.

She began to speak and his two friends knew to shut their trap instantly. "I know you wanted to leave... but you are a strange man... and... I don't want... to let you go, just yet... so will you please stay... Ichigo?"

He blinked at the call of his name. It was silent for about five minutes before he closed his eyes and smirked. When he looked back up at her, her heart stopped.

That smirk seemed to turn into something completely different to her. It turned somewhat softer and his entire expression looked more like... defeat? Is that the word? No, not defeat... sorrow? Maybe not... but it was definitely something... and it nearly took her breath away.

"Guess I've got no choice, right?"

They kept eye contact as Ichigo slowly made his way up to her.

The spark between them when he touched his fingers to hers to get the compass, was interesting.

A little static electricity from the carpeted floors, right?

Right?

* * *

_Preview for the next chapter_

_"What the hell did you do to my chicken?!" screamed Grimmjow._

_"What chicken?! You blew it up you, dumbass!!" Shuuhei countered. _

* * *

**And there you have it folks. Raise your hand if you nearly pissed yourself!! Haha I was about to too when I was typing it. Static electricity really is interesting...heehee. Anywho, I think Shirayuki has way too much to worry about for a bunny eh? Ah, I love her. She's so cute in my mind!**

**So thank you for the many reviews! They truly encourage me. The other reason why it takes so long for me to update is because I try to switch back and forth from this to my other series "Make My Fantasies Come True", but since I'm finally getting to my bigger plots, more of these chapters might pop up faster than the other. Dunno yet lol. Have to see my schedules I guess.**

**Well, you know the drill... PRESS THAT MOTIVATING BUTTON AND REVIEWWWWWWWWWWWW PLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!**

**Until next time =]**


	9. Episode 8: Byakuya's Second Challenge

**This definitely came out later than I expected. I know you guys are tired of hearing me apologize, so I won't, but you get the picture. **

**A reviewer had asked me, "Why the hell would everyone be happy that Ichigo stayed? Aren't they all enemies?"**

**Well, only Shuuhei, Renji, and Shirayuki are happy that he stayed. Toushirou would prefer Ichigo over Yumichika. Think about it... if you had to be on a ridiculous reality show and live in the same house with your rivals, wouldn't you prefer the ones you can stand and are friends with.... or would you rather stay in the house with hardass enemies like Grimmjow and Gin, who will do whatever it takes to drive you over the edge, for the next couple of months? It's an easy way out and all a preference thing. As for Ashido, Urahara, and Orihime... they were just in for the suspense. When competitions like these happen, you tend to pick out who your thinking will be out and in.**

**Hope that helps and thank you all for your wonderful reviews! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: ...**

* * *

After Rukia gave Ichigo his compass, she congratulated the remaining men and decided to turn in for the rest of the night.

The minute she left, a stare down started with Shuuhei and Renji towards Grimmjow.

"That was really low..." Renji growled.

The wrestler looked at them with a bored expression. "What was, Mr. Pineapple?"

"You damn well know what! You didn't—

Ichigo loudly cleared his throat.

Both Renji and Shuuhei snapped their heads towards him.

His eyes met theirs and then quickly darted to the side. They followed his glance and knew what he wanted to say. Kuchiki Byakuya was still in the room.

They looked at each other and had the same thought. _That was good, though! If he knew, they could get rid of the bastard!_

Ichigo saw their intentions to continue and shook his head slightly.

Grimmjow, who had been following their silent argument, let a smirk spread across his face.

Byakuya watched the exchange and got the hint. He stood, picked Shirayuki up, and walked towards the door, bidding Ashido and Urahara goodnight as he did.

When the big boss left, there was a moment of silence to make sure that he was gone, before all hell broke loose.

Shuuhei charged at Grimmjow and slammed the wrestler into the wall by the collar. "You fucking bastard! Why the hell did you tell Rukia that it was _you_, who gave her the rabbit?!"

Grimmjow just held his grin. "She asked me who gave her the bunny..." He glanced over at Ichigo. "...then I remembered the threat..." He held up a hand to his forehead and continued dramatically, "...and feared at the thought of dying in the hands of little strawberry, so I sucked it up and told her I did."

Shuuhei snarled, "Why you..." He pulled his fist back, prepared to hit when he was stopped by Ichigo's hand.

The fitness instructor's eyes moved over to Ichigo's. "Don't you dare defend this low-life, Ichigo!"

Grimmjow looked over at the back of Ichigo's head and laughed. "Of course he will. He still wants to go home. Poor strawberry."

Ichigo ignored the wrestler and spoke in a calm tone. "Step back, Shuuhei."

There was a short staring contest before he reluctantly let go of the wrestler.

He swept invisible dirt off his shirt and said, "Thanks orange-top, but you could've just let me beat the shit out of him myself. I would've within the next minute, really. It feels weird to have a guy holding me—

Grimmjow quickly jumped away from Ichigo, who's punch hit the wall.

Needless to say, the people in the room were slightly shocked.

He chuckled. "Knew that was too easy..."

Ichigo's scowl intensified. "Don't flatter yourself. I just didn't want Shuuhei to ruin his chance with Rukia by beating you to a pulp on my behalf."

Grimmjow smirked and tilted his head to the side. "What's wrong? Thought you wanted to go home? Aren't you glad that I told her it was me? You would've been eliminated if it weren't for that gay pussy of a stylist."

They glared at each other until Urahara clapped his hands. "Alright boys, that's enough. All fighters, back to your corners." They stood their ground. "Come on! Chop chop! Or else, I'll sing you guys to sleep in your rooms, tonight!"

Urahara smirked at their quick retreats. None of them even hesitated to leave. They knew the strange man by now.

Ashido looked over at the older man. "So, it was really Ichigo-san?"

He pulled his hat down and nodded.

"Why didn't you correct her then?" he asked, confused.

Urahara sighed. "Ichigo's been wanting to go home since the day he got here. He made us all promise—well more like threatened— not to tell her, in hopes that she'll just grant his wish. You know how much Rukia loves her bunnies."

Ashido nodded in memory of his past adventures with her obsession. "But why did he give her the rabbit in the first place? If he wanted to leave so badly, he should've just been an ass and she'd send him packing in an instant."

"Eh... guess he couldn't bring himself to be over-the-top rude. That and some threat dealing with his father... but when they first met, all they did was fight and argue. They still do, but it seems more playful. Like preschool. Well, I guess that didn't work for him like he wanted it to anyway."

"He wanted to be eliminated by tonight, right? What's going to happen now?"

Urahara shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe he'll stop fighting and fall under Rukia's spell, like the rest of them."

"Should we tell her the truth, then?"

He whipped out his fan. "I'm not sure. What do you think, Bya-kun?"

Ashido raised an eyebrow and turned towards the threshold. Within a few seconds, the elder Kuchiki revealed himself. He was petting a tired Shirayuki.

The man next to him released a wide grin. "So how long have you been there, Bya-kun????"

Byakuya glared at him due to the nickname, but shrugged at the question. "I never left."

Ashido was shocked. He didn't think the great Kuchiki Byakuya was one to eavesdrop.

Urahara chuckled. "Yes, yes. Should've known. So what should we do about the situation?"

Shirayuki looked up at her owner's brother. _Surely he knows that this lie could affect the outcome. _

He was still and emotionless as he thought, his eyes closed.

Upon opening his eyes, he spoke his opinion. "She'll find out eventually, so let it be."

Urahara smiled and snapped his fan shut. "Then... let the fun begin..."

Ashido nodded, but felt slightly uncomfortable. He glanced at the now sleeping rabbit in Byakuya's arms.

Shirayuki had fallen asleep with one thought running through her mind. _All humans are imbeciles..._

* * *

The Next Day

Breakfast had resumed as usual, except the tension seemed to increase tenfold.

Ichigo had to re-straighten Renji and Shuuhei out about the bunny issue. They had questioned him if he was even slightly angry for what Grimmjow did, to which he just responded with a "no".

He didn't want her to know. Even if he wasn't eliminated last time, he still wanted nothing to do with the ridiculous reality show. Plain and simple. Besides, his hair brought him enough unwanted attention.

Orihime watched the men eat their breakfast in silence. The aura was just too much for her, that she didn't even happily greet them like the mornings before.

After they were done, she hesitantly told them to all meet in the main lounge for the day's activity.

* * *

"Good morning everyone!!!" sang a happy Urahara.

The guys moaned and groaned.

Urahara shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, it _had_ to be done." He popped out his fan. "So anyway, the agenda for today is.... cooking!!!"

More groans.

"Settle down, settle down." Urahara sighed. "It is Byakuya-sama's second challenge. You are to cook a fabulous dish for our little princess, using the secret ingredient that will be revealed to all of you in the kitchen. You'll have all day to prepare your entrées and start over again, should you mess up. The top three will be rewarded with a one-on-one date with Rukia-chan. First place winner gets a whole day with her, while second and third share a day. Second place will be from morning to noon, while third place is from noon to night. So everyone head out to the kitchen, get your aprons and hats, and let's get cookin'!!"

Everyone stayed seated.

The man with the striped hat waved his fan to the threshold. "Come on... for Rukia-chan!"

Boredom was clearly etched onto their faces.

A wicked gleam rested in Urahara's eye. "Either you guys get going, or else all of your meals from now on, will be made by our lovely... Inoue Orihime..."

In less than a second, every ass was booking to the kitchen and a loud commotion could be heard as they grabbed for their requirements.

Urahara snickered.

He knew that they had noticed her personally-made, yet rather unusual, meals. She would always make something to her preference for her breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner. They usually consisted of bean and or fish paste with anything other than the norm. When she'd offer it to the table, they'd usually lose their appetite for the rest of their meal.

Both Ashido and Byakuya side-stepped the stampede and cautiously entered the main lounge. They each glanced at the mob, then to each other, and then to the smiling family friend.

"_What_ did you say to them?" asked an astounded Ashido.

His smile was wide, but as he was about to answer, Orihime popped her head into the room.

"Urahara-san, did you call? I heard you say my name and something about meals..." She gasped. "Did you want me to cook something for you?!" Her eyes were shining... quite brightly.

All three of the men in the room immediately thought of her more recent concoctions and sweatdropped.

Urahara gave her a nervous chuckled. "That's—okay, Inoue-san... I'm good..."

She moved her eyes towards Byakuya and Ashido. "Then, did you want me to cook something for Kuchiki-dono and Ashido-san?"

Ashido instantly paled and Byakuya lightly coughed.

"Thanks for the thought Orihime-san... but we just ate." Ashido politely said.

Byakuya nodded. Their thoughts the same.

_I'd run too, if I were them..._

* * *

The kitchen was quite large in itself. There were a total of four full stove tops and four side ovens. There was an enormous island right in the middle, as well as enough counter space, and four huge refrigerators.

The entire room was completely over-filled with every vegetable, fruit, meat, and condiments known to man. The amount of it all was definitely enough to feed the entire country of Japan.

There was a bucket with a white blanket covering it in the center of the room. They guessed that it was the so-called secret ingredient.

Urahara entered the kitchen with a 'Kiss the Cook' apron and a white and green striped chef hat. "All right, directions? You must prepare an edible meal for Rukia-chan. Byakuya-sama and Ashido-san will be there to judge as well. The secret ingredient must be involved in the dish in one way or another and no sabotaging each other's entrées! I will watch out for that. We will present your projects to them at seven sharp. Now..." He rubbed his hands. "The secret ingredient is..." He lifted the piece of cloth off of the bucket to reveal, "Cucumbers!!"

Renji grinned. _Go figure... it's one of Rukia's favorite things to eat..._

"Well?" asked Urahara. "Be like Shirayuki and hop to it!"

The guys made their way to the bucket to grab their cucumber cylinders and went to an empty counter, to think of what they'll make.

Urahara watched them, but stopped them with a sly grin when he saw them head to the stoves. "Wait! I almost forgot! Since there are only four full stations and seven of you, you will have to share. In which case..." He took his hat off and flipped it so that the opening was up. "You'll have to pick which stations you get and who'll get one all to himself!"

"Are you fucking serious..." growled Grimmjow. It was bad enough that he has to actually cook and not ruin someone else's stuff. He also knew they were going to have to share, but to have to _pick_ one from a hat?

He glanced over to the rest of them. The chances of him getting stuck to someone who wasn't his roommate... was very high.

"Yup! They're numbered one through four and so are the pieces of paper in my hat." The blond grinned and held out his hat. "No peeking and no trading!"

--

The Results

Toushirou- 3

Grimmjow- 4

Ulquiorra- 2

Shuuhei- 4

Ichigo- 2

Gin- 3

Renji- 1

--

Renji turned his head slightly to see the rest of his opponents. _Geez... if there was tension before, there's a helluva lot more of it now..._

Shuuhei and Grimmjow glared at each other as they placed their ingredients on the counter space around stove number four.

Gin had towered over Toushirou as they set their things down. "Let's try to help each other out, eh? Shirou-chan?" His smile was quite big.

Needless to say, the little law student's eye couldn't stop twitching.

Ichigo and Ulquiorra hadn't even acknowledged each other throughout the move. If anything, they gave the other the cold shoulder and wouldn't even spare a glance. They were just there to get things done and be on their gloomy way.

Urahara was quite proud of his idea and gave himself a pat on the back.

When things started heating up in the kitchen, Rukia and Ashido entered to see the progress.

The minute they stepped in, Urahara drawled, "You better duckkkkk..."

They were confused until the right kitchen corner exploded.

Both Ashido and Rukia had hit the ground for cover, while Urahara stayed up on his stool and covered his face with his fan.

The heiress and heir got up and waved the smoke out of their faces, while the head chef laughed hysterically at the causes of the explosion.

Grimmjow and Shuuhei stayed glued to their separate counters, staring at the oven. They then directed their eyes to glare daggers at the other.

"What the hell did you do to my chicken?!" screamed Grimmjow.

"What chicken?! You blew it up, you dumbass!!" Shuuhei countered.

Rukia raised her eyebrow as they continued to fight. "And nii-sama has the nerve to tell me, that _I_ can't cook?"

She let out a small shriek and hid behind Ashido, who got punched square in the face by a nice, big bag of flour.

It happened that Shuuhei had ducked when Grimmjow threw the bag at him. Grimmjow however, had done the same when Shuuhei threw a head of lettuce at him, hitting Renji instead. The pattern continued until everyone was in on it.

Of course the two idiots would start an all out food war.

Ashido stood still as the bag slipped to the ground and carefully opened his eyes.

He then slowly turned his head to the side, to look at Rukia with his emotionless face. "You just _had_ to hide behind me... huh?"

Rukia blinked. She gave him a once-over his floured form, then smiled shyly. "A heh... um... thank you? Ashido?"

He allowed a smirk to overcome his face. "Not a chance..." and with that, he picked her up and hugged her close to his covered self. He nuzzled her neck with his powdered face as she happily squealed his name.

Food was being mercilessly thrown around and Urahara was dying of laughter at it all. That is... until a fish was thrown right into his wide-opened mouth and shut him up.

That's when everyone else laughed at him.

* * *

Rukia had cleaned up by presentation time and was patiently sitting at the end of the dining table. Her brother sat on her left and a recently showered Ashido, sat next to him. She had to admit that she was starving and couldn't wait to eat her meals.

Urahara led the line of men from the kitchen to the dining room. They were all holding their lidded, silver platters as they marched behind Urahara.

Byakuya raised an eyebrow at their food-covered forms.

Ashido noticed and leaned in to whisper, "One does not have time to bathe, when one is trying to prepare Rukia-chan a good dinner. _Especially_ when one starts a food fight, _after_ one messes up his dish."

Byakuya made a small "O" shape with his mouth and then closed it just as quickly.

Urahara came to a stop next to Rukia and smiled. "Let there be food!"

* * *

Gin

Entrée: Teriyaki Chicken with Pickled Cucumbers

The chicken was grilled to a perfect golden brown and the cucumbers were artistically placed around it.

He put it in the center of the three.

Rukia took a big whiff of it in and sighed, "Hope it tastes as good as it smells! Itadakimasu!!"

She eagerly took a portion of the chicken and some cucumbers onto her plate. Byakuya and Ashido then followed suit.

They all nodded in approval of the wondrous taste in their mouths.

Gin grinned and lightly kissed her happy, chewing cheek. "Only the best for my little Rukia-chan..."

--

Ulquiorra

Entrée: Sweet Chile Cucumber Pickles

Though it wasn't refrigerated overnight, it was still well marinated in the vinegar soup. However, since it only looked like cucumber soaked in red water, Byakuya had to raise a brow.

"Hope you didn't go through _too_ much trouble."

On the side, Renji leaned to whisper to Ichigo. "That's what _I_ said..."

"Well it only took him five minutes and then he threw it into the fridge. On the plus side... he left after that, so then I had the area to myself."

Renji nodded as he watched the pale man's nonchalant shrug towards the older Kuchiki's remark.

Rukia stuck her fork in to stab a cucumber slice and started munching on it.

Her right eye immediately squeezed shut at the taste. She gave a slight chuckle. "It's a little too sour for me..."

Byakuya was stoic as he ate his and Ashido unintentionally made a cute fishy face.

--

Shuuhei

Entrée: Korean Short Ribs with Cucumber Kimchee

Rukia eyed the plate of ribs with the cucumber kimchee on the side. It was beautifully glazed over with barbecue sauce. Her fingers went to hold her rib while her fork sliced through the meat.

To their surprise though, it was still quite pink. They looked at the chef.

Shuuhei cursed and his eyes were filled with apology. "I'm sorry, Rukia. I was afraid it was going to be like that since _someone_..." His eyes flickered over to Grimmjow. "...blew up our oven. It came out nice, so I thought it still worked... guess I should've left it in longer..."

She smiled at him. "That's okay, Shuuhei."

"Next time an oven explodes, know well enough to use one that didn't." snapped Byakuya. "Or at least check it with a toothpick before presenting it as food."

Shuuhei flinched and bowed. "Yes, sir. I apologize again..."

Rukia's fork kept on making round trips from the plate to her mouth. "The cucumber kimchee came out delicious though!!"

He smiled. Her happy face made him feel a little better. He still felt like a complete idiot though, but smirked when he thought about the expression that'll come to their faces when it's Grimmjow's turn.

--

Ichigo

Entrée: Grilled Garlic Shrimp over Coconut Rice with Mango Cucumber Salad and Guava Dressing

Rukia's mouth was watering when Ichigo removed the lid to his dish.

The perfectly skewered, marinated shrimp laid over the white rice. The cucumber salad rested on the other half of the plate, with diced tomato and mango, arranged as a red and yellow flower on top of it.

She grabbed a stick of shrimp and put some rice onto her plate. She then mixed them into her mouth and moaned at the taste.

"This is truly delightful!"

He smirked.

She looked up at him as she continued eating. "Didn't think you'd have it in you... _especially_ the presentation..."

Ichigo shrugged. "My little sister loves to cook and is quite the expert. She would always ask me to help her when I visited, so I figured I'd pick up a couple of tips while I was at it."

Rukia nodded as she stuck another piece of mango into her mouth.

Byakuya had to admit. For a disrespectful brat, he had impressive cooking abilities. In all truth, he thought that his dish would be something like Ulquiorra's.

Even Ashido didn't think he'd do so well. He eyed the orange-haired man as said man, watched Rukia happily eat. He noticed that the corner of the man's mouth was twitched upwards, further away from his permanent scowl.

Ashido closed his eyes and smirked. _Did you finally realize... that you were fighting a losing battle with her... Ichigo-san?_

--

Grimmjow

Entrée: Sesame Noodles with Cucumbers and Shredded Chicken

Well... that's what it was _supposed_ to be...

Rukia, Byakuya, and Ashido all blinked at it.

It was a little on the... _burnt_ side... the noodles, that is... even the cucumbers... and the chicken...

Ashido poked a large clump of black. "Are you _sure_ that that's a piece of chicken?"

He immediately pointed at Shuuhei. "He should be disqualified, since he was the one who sabotaged the oven!!"

"Me?!" exclaimed an angry Shuuhei. "Don't blame me for your poor cooking skills!! If anything, you should be disqualified for ruining the oven for mine!!"

They bickered on and on as Urahara threw the platter into the trash.

Byakuya kept in mind, that if for some reason that Rukia did end up with him... he'd have to hire her a full-time cook for the rest of her life...

--

Toushirou

Entrée: Sesame Tofu and Cucumber Salad with Soy Sauce Eggs

The tofu and cucumbers were equally tossed together on the platter. The eggs were sliced into perfect wedges and surrounded the ring of it.

He was a law student. He doesn't have much time to cook and lives off of ramen. It's understandable.

Rukia ate her eggs and then dug into the salad. "At least I won't have to worry about gaining weight. Thank you, Toushirou."

He blushed at her smile.

Ashido and Byakuya had to disagree.

There was no way in hell, were they going to let her get any skinnier. She's as small as a pixie as it is!

--

Renji

Entrée: Teriyaki Salmon with Mirin Cucumber Salad

The salmon was peacefully laying on top of the cucumber salad and was screaming, "EAT ME!!!"

Rukia obliged in no time and half of the salmon was on her plate, along with some of the salad.

She knew that he was always good at the art of food preparation. Whenever he'd visit her, she'd immediately throw him into the kitchen to make them a snack before they did anything.

"Renji, this is amazing! It might be one of your best masterpieces, yet!"

She held out a fork of salmon and smiled at him, urging him on.

He returned her smile and bent down to take the piece into his own mouth, keeping eye contact with her as he did.

Byakuya was anticipating his dish as well. Back when they were younger, he would steal some leftovers that Renji had made for them when they were out playing.

Ashido was sure he was in heaven at the taste.

He heard some whimpering to his left. When he turned his head, he was met with a begging Urahara.

Ashido sweatdropped as he stared at the man's wide puppy pout.

He tossed some of his salmon into the air and Urahara snapped it up.

Well, Byakuya wasn't the _only_ one who stole some of the leftovers back then. After all, by the time Renji and Rukia came back... they were always met with an empty plate of what used to be.

* * *

The men were left standing in the dining room, while the three judges went off into the kitchen to discuss the winners.

Urahara wiped his face as he finished off the last bit of Ichigo's shrimp.

Orihime then stepped into the room with a bright smile on her face, with Ashido behind her.

"The results are in, gentlemen!" she announced.

"Rukia, Byakuya-sama, and I all reviewed the food. You all did well, but only the top three will go on a one-on-one date with Rukia for the next two days."

"So then the winners are..." Orihime flipped open the piece of paper in her hand. "Third place... Ichimaru Gin."

Urahara made them clap, even if the man _did_ freak them all out.

"Second place... Kurosaki Ichigo."

Renji and Shuuhei whistled and applauded the loudest.

"And first place goes to... Abarai Renji! Congratulations, you guys!"

Shuuhei and Renji were involved in a man hug, dragging an unwilling Ichigo in, as Renji hollered for victory.

"Renji-san will go on his date with Rukia tomorrow, while Ichigo-san and Gin-san will go on their dates the next day." Ashido then clapped his hands, which caused a line of cooks to march into the room. "Now, for all of your hard work, Rukia is throwing you a party."

Her personal chefs set up table after table of delicious food and desserts. A couple of the butlers came out with many bottles of sake, as well as entertainment systems. Streamers and confetti exploded out of nowhere and music began blasting from the speakers that were just placed in the room.

Urahara came out with a striped, party cone-hat and Orihime waltzed around. They both blew their party blowers and screamed, "Let's get this party started!!!!"

The men cheered and rushed to the mountains of food first.

Hey, a long day of cooking for the princess and no food for themselves. They were starving!

Well... all but one, anyways...

* * *

Ichigo closed the sliding, glass door behind him. He could still hear the music, but it was a bit blurred. It was better than nothing.

He stepped out towards the backyard and looked up at the dark sky from beneath the porch's roof.

It was already very late into the night, but the clouds made it nearly pitch black outside. He could smell the rain that was undoubtedly coming.

Ichigo closed his eyes for a moment, before he walked out into the night, to seat himself on a concrete bench. He then clasped his hands in front of his face, with his elbows resting on his knees.

"_I wanna go on the ferris wheel with you!" cried a child._

_His mother smiled. "We will."_

Thunder could be heard.

"_And then the scrambler?"_

"_Yes."_

Lightning was able to be seen.

_He jumped up and down in joy. "And then round and round on the merry-go-round?!"_

_Her smile got brighter. "Until we puke up all of our guts!"_

"_When can we go?!"_

"_We'll all go tomorrow, okay?"_

_He smiled and nodded his head in excitement. "I wanna ride all the rides with you!!"_

A rain drop hit Ichigo's face.

_She laughed. "You will, sweetie."_

_Police sirens could be heard in the background._

_Their laughter filled the air, doing their best to drown out the sirens. The sirens were dominating, though._

Calloused fingers dug themselves deeply into the slightly damp, orange locks.

_Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeechhhhh! _

_The child's butt hit something hard. He opened his eyes to meet a river of blood..._

Ichigo gripped his head even tighter.

_It was a long, thick river... but where was it coming from? _

_He slowly looked to his left and was met with..._

The rain poured uncontrollably onto him.

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" _

_The rain was washing all the blood into a nearby sewer as the little boy cried._

"_Please, wake up!! Wake up!! WAKE UP!!! PLEASE?!?!"_

_He heard a small gasp of, "Oh... my... God..."_

_It was the policemen. He could faintly hear one of them calling an ambulance. The other was trying to comfort him and placed a hand on his—_

A touch to his shoulder, made his head shoot up within a second.

Amber met violet.

She was standing there, completely dry, while he was numb with cold water. He could barely feel the rain hit his skin, though. Then again, that was because she was holding an umbrella over the both of them.

His breathing was definitely off sync from its natural tune.

Her form was slightly bent forward so that she could see his face. She hesitantly lifted her hand from his shoulder to his forehead, feeling the cold sweat, instead of rain.

For the first time since they met... Rukia saw it in his eyes... the aura that everyone got from him... it was all there...

The pain... the regret...

But something that only the closest people to him could see...

The_ loneliness_...

* * *

_Preview for the next chapter_

_"What could you have done?" she asked softly._

_"Something... anything!"_

_"There was nothi—_

* * *

**So, there was more to this chapter, but if I continued, it'd be double this amount. Therefore, that'll be your next chapter. And yes, it's most likely the chapter that most of you have been waiting for. Teehee. **

**Now, is it me... or is Kubo denying Rukia the chance to see Ichigo as some kind of hollow form? I've been thinking about it since I saw the latest chapter and tried to remember if she ever saw it or even if we knew she saw it. I'm thinking no. In any case, I feel that he's going to end Ichi's hollow problem with Rukia! Well the fangirl in me could definitely dream =3**

**Thank you all once again, for leaving me wonderful reviews. They really do brighten up my days and keep me motivated.**

**Well, same ol' same ol'.... PRESS THAT BUTTON AND REVIEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW PLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!**

**Until next time =]**


	10. Episode 9: Memories in the Rain

**Mmm... about three weeks before an update... I'd _like_ to think that I'm getting better. It's not another month in a half or so, right? Mkay, I'll go with it being a wee bit better.**

**Well I must say, THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!! That last chapter was definitely my highest reviewed before an update. Especially since this update came earlier than the others!! You guys are amazing and I love you all!!**

**Here you go, the chapter most of ya have been waiting for!! Enjoy!!**

**Disclaimer: Do the math...**

* * *

"Here you go, Shirayuki." said Rukia, as she placed a bowl full of carrots in front of her precious pet.

The white ball of fluff nodded her head in happiness and immediately dug in.

Rukia smiled and leaned against the counter that she had placed her rabbit on. Her eyes moved to look out the window in front of them to see the lightning.

Byakuya listened to the thunder as he made his way next to her with a glass of water in his hand. "Sounds like someone up there is having a full out war."

His baby sister giggled and glanced at her brother. "And the rain is clear blood?"

He shrugged. "You never know."

She shook her head and stared up into the black sky. "You and your dry sense of humor..."

Brother and sister thought the same thing at that time. _It had rained... the day Hisana died..._

A scratching noise brought them out of their daze and attentions onto the little bunny.

Shirayuki had stopped eating, lifted her two front paws onto the windowsill, and then fully lifted herself up to the glass. She turned towards the Kuchiki siblings and pointed to the glass with her paw.

Both of them blinked.... then again.... just once more.... before they looked at the spot that she was pointing to on the glass.

"What is it, Shirayuki?" Rukia asked curiously. She moved her face closer to the rabbit, only to have her tap the window three times.

"Is something out there?"

Her little marshmallow nodded and turned back to the window herself.

Rukia leaned in even closer. "What do you see?" Her eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness outside and eventually narrowed in on a bent figure. "Who..."

"Looks like Kurosaki."

She shot her brother a look, to see his arms crossed, staring out with them, and as stoic as ever.

The Kuchiki heiress brought her attention back to said Kurosaki Ichigo. His form was bent over, hands held in his hair, and head down. The rain was coming down so hard, that one would believe it was holding him like that.

Shirayuki pressed her nose to the glass. _Oh, Ichi-sama... what's wrong with you...? _

A shadow wasn't hovering over her anymore, so she looked up to find her owner gone. She looked over at Byakuya instead, to see him close his eyes and sigh.

"Don't worry... she's going to get him..." He opened his eyes and looked down at the bunny. "... which I'm sure, is something that you've wanted?" His eyebrow went up when he saw the small gleam of hope in her eyes.

She twitched her nose and then turned her attention back to her clearly upset savior. _Please help him, Ruki-sama..._

* * *

Rukia vainly sloshed through her flooded backyard with her umbrella, to get to the soaked carrot-top. _I swear, you idiot... you better have a damn good reason to be out here like this! _

As she approached, she noticed that all of the food was washed off of him by the rain, but he didn't seem to be aware of her presence. Her steps halted in front of him. He still didn't show any signs of noticing.

She blew the hair out of her face and brought her umbrella over them, hoping that the sudden stop of rain-contact, will bring her his attention.

It didn't.

Rukia bent forward and gave a soft gasp. His face was scrunched up in pain... his fingers were holding onto his scalp for dear life... he seemed to had stopped breathing... and his eyes... his eyes were completely glazed over and... dead.

She slowly brought her hand up to his shoulder, only to have caught him utterly off-guard. His head had shot up towards her and his lungs started to re-collect much needed oxygen.

Her eyes watched as his widened when she touched his forehead.

Ichigo seemed to have noticed his state and shot back from her hand.

Her face showed a little hurt and she softened her eyes. "You know... you're going to get sick if you stay out here any longer..."

His scowl was back and turned his head to the side. "That's fine..."

He heard her sigh and felt her sit herself next to him. His eyes still stayed turned in the opposite direction of hers, nonetheless.

It was an awkward silence, but he noted that she still held the umbrella over him.

When his eyes quickly darted to the side to steal a glance, he saw that she was starting to get wet, since the rain was at a slight angle.

The silence went on until he couldn't take it anymore. "Aren't _you_ going to get sick if you stay out here any longer?"

"That's fine..." she said, nonchalantly.

He scoffed and another ten minutes of silence went by.

"Do you want to know... why I wanted to be gone by that last elimination...?" he asked.

Rukia jumped slightly at his gentle voice, but recomposed herself quickly. She shrugged. "You don't have to tell me anything... what you want, is your business... not mine..."

It was quiet for another five minutes. The rain, lightning, and thunder, eased by only a small amount.

"It's because... tomorrow... is the anniversary of... my mom's death..."

The dark-haired girl's eyes widened as she turned her full attention to Ichigo.

"Every year, we'd visit her grave..."

His head was no longer turned away from her, but directed straight. She could tell though, that his mind was starting to wander away from the present.

"Ichigo..."

"We were walking home from the karate dojo that I attended... and I had wanted to take a different route home... so that we could pass by the carnival that was in town..."

_Nine year old Kurosaki Ichigo, happily walked down the streets of Karakura Town with his beautiful mother. Their hands were connected as he hummed a merry tune. _

_His head snapped over at the music that was echoing from the carnival._

"_Mom, look! There it is!" he exclaimed._

_She looked over as well and gave him a small, "Mhmm." _

"_We're going to go before it leaves, right?"_

_Kurosaki Masaki gently squeezed his hand and replied, "Most definitely."_

"_I wanna go on the ferris wheel with you!"_

_His mother smiled. "We will."_

"_And then the scrambler?"_

"_Yes."_

_Little Ichigo jumped up and down in joy. "And then round and round on the merry-go-round?!"_

_Her smile got brighter. "Until we puke up all of our guts!"_

"_When can we go?!"_

"_We'll all go tomorrow, okay?"_

_He grinned and nodded his head in excitement. "I wanna ride all the rides with you!!"_

_Masaki laughed. "You will, sweetie." _

_Police sirens could be heard in the background, but they paid no mind. _

"_We can get cotton candy! I'll bet Yuzu and Karin would love that!! But then dad, on the other hand..."_

"_Yes, your dad... like he needs any more sugar in his system..."_

_Mother and son shared a hearty laugh._

"I never noticed that the sirens were coming from the next street..." Ichigo's eyes remained unfocused as he continued to stare straight ahead.

Rukia held her breath.

The worst, she knew, was to be heard soon.

_Too engulfed in his own thoughts, he obliviously turned the corner. _

"_Ichigo!!"she screamed._

_Headlights were shining directly in his eyes and he let out a cry of surprise._

_Within a second, Masaki grabbed him and threw him up in the air. _

_Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeechhhhh! _

"I didn't know what had happened. One minute, I was in the air... the next..."

_His butt landed on something hard. _

_Instinct had him leaning back on his hands, while his legs were slightly bent before him._

_When he opened his eyes, he saw a long river of thick blood. It was just slowly flowing down the street._

_Amber orbs traced his gaze from the blood to his legs, to see that he was sitting on top of the hood of a car._

_His hands and clothes were splattered with blood, but the crimson red, liquid wasn't coming from him..._

_The little boy turned to his left and was met with..._

_Those wide amber pools, grew and were overcome with horror._

_His mother... his lovely mother... was..._

_He turned around to see, that he was sitting on top of the hood of a truck... that was currently pinning his mother to a brick wall..._

Ichigo had bent forward to lean his elbows against his knees, again. His hands folded themselves together.

Rukia didn't realize that her hand had slowly made its way up to cover her mouth. The shock of what had happened, made her grasp on the umbrella slip. The freed object, then danced along with the rain.

_Masaki's upper half, was bent over and laid on top of the hood with him. The rest... he could just tell, was simply crushed._

_Ichigo slowly crawled closer to his mother's form until he was in her encircling arms._

"_M-Mom?" he asked in a shaky voice._

_No answer._

_He gently shook her shoulder. "Mommy...?"_

_He heard the screeches of the police cars stopping behind him. Their voices were fuzzy as they went to arrest the driver. One was calling for an ambulance, while the other..._

_His little hand hesitantly pushed her hair away from her face. _

_Her once sparkling eyes... the ones that went perfectly with her smile... the ones that comforted him when he was scared or upset... were opened by nearly a millimeter... and were completely... lifeless..._

_Tears started to fill his eyes as he stared at her pale face. _

_Rain drops hit them. _

"_Oh... my... God..." that other policeman gasped. He saw the waterfall of blood that was draining from the woman's body and the large indentation that the truck had made with her and the wall._

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"_

_The little boy became hysterical as he kept shaking his mother and patting her blood-stained cheek._

"_Please, wake up!! Wake up, mommy!! WAKE UP!!! PLEASE, MOM!?!" He wanted her eyes to shine with life once more._

_Young Ichigo's tears were uncontrollable and it seemed that the rain felt his pain, as it began to pour. It started to wash the river of blood into a nearby sewer as the little boy cried. _

_The officer placed a hand on his shoulder, but he didn't notice. He did however, cling onto his mother when he felt the officer attempt to pull him away._

_It was breaking the man's heart to hear and see the child slowly die inside. _

_The poor thing was holding his mother's face lovingly and begging for her to wake up. Quietly repeating that he loved her... that she can't leave him... that he'd take back all of his carnival wishes, if she'd just open her eyes... to wake up and tell him that everything was going to be all right..._

_When the ambulance arrived though, both officers had to take him off of her; making him scream bloody murder... which wasn't too far off..._

_Little Ichigo fought hard... from kicking... to scratching... to punching... to biting... all while his cries held extreme agony..._

_He eventually won and raced to his mother's side on the stretcher. _

_They had placed a white sheet over her, knowing that nothing could be done, but he reached under the covers for her hand, nonetheless. _

_His knees gave out the minute he found her wrist, but kept a firm grasp on it. He pressed his burning eyes to her knuckles and continued to plead, "M-Mommy... this is a bad d-dream, right? It's not real, r-right? You're sleeping w-with daddy in the next room a-and every-t-thing is all right, right? R-Right, mommy?!" _

_Deep down though, he knew it was all a nightmare come true... and that it wasn't about to go away any time soon..._

She noticed that his voice was shaking along with his body.

Tears had formed in her eyes through it all, but was rinsed by the rain. It wasn't pouring anymore though... it just calmed a bit.

They were both soaked, but none of it mattered. The only thing that mattered, was...

"The paramedics said that she had died on the spot... that upon impact... her spinal cord snapped... her ribs broke and... pierced her organs, including her heart... and blood... it just wouldn't stop..." His face was hidden behind his hands as he continued. "The bastard that was driving... was completely drunk off his ass... he was attempting to out-drive the cops..."

It was silent as she tried to stop her tears. _So _that's_ why he disappeared at the carnival... it brought back painful memories... she didn't just die... she was _killed_..._

"I could've done something..."

"What could you have done?" she asked softly.

Ichigo's hand left his face and ran itself through his wet hair. "Something... anything!"

"There was noth—

He suddenly shot up from his seat and began to pace. "I could've just stuck to the route we usually took! I could've taken my time leaving the dojo! I could've—

"Ichigo, listen to yourself!" she reasoned. She couldn't believe that he was blaming himself.

Rukia got up and stood in his way of taking another step. "How... can _anyone_... possibly imagine that such an outcome could occur?" Her eyes were boring deeply into his.

"If I had paid more attention to the sirens... I would've known... that they were just a turn away..." He bent his head down, while his voice screamed defeat. "Dammit, my name's suppose to mean 'he who protects'! What good is that, when I couldn't even protect my mom?!"

The young heiress couldn't handle it anymore. She quickly lunged forward and wrapped her arms around his torso, her face pressed into his rock hard chest.

Surprisingly enough, his arms went to wrap around her shoulders. She felt his cheek land softly on her head. His body was trembling, as was hers.

During the next minute, his knees gave out and brought them both down to the dirt. They didn't care, though.

Rukia gently cradled his head against her chest and his hold around her waist was strong.

He was mumbling into her shirt, but she heard him clear enough. "If I couldn't protect her... then _I_... should've gone with her..."

Her fingers gripped his hair tighter as she softly said, "Fool... stop talking nonsense..."

The cold rain continued to sprinkle down, but their embrace kept them warm and sheltered from it all.

* * *

The Next Morning

Ichigo kept his pillow over his head when he heard Renji's alarm going off. The damn thing was so loud that it had the capability to wake the dead. He heard the red head shift quickly in his bed and slammed his fist down on the off button.

"Damn clock... damn hangover... damn party..." Renji's grumbling went on for a few more minutes before he slipped off his bed and onto his feet.

He sluggishly slid over to Ichigo's bed and tapped his shoulder. "Hey... wake up..."

Course, strawberry didn't move.

Renji's eyebrows scrunched together as he full on shook his shoulder. "Yo! Wake up..."

There was a slight progress. Ichigo tightened his grip on his pillow and pulled the rest of his covers over his head.

A vein popped on Renji's head. Both of his hands violently shook the stubborn man. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake—

Ichigo shot straight up in his bed and screamed, "What?!?!"

Renji quickly covered his ears and winced in pain. "Not so loud! Hangover!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Stop whining. You were the idiot that drank too much last night..."

"Yeah, yeah..." he waved off. "Anyways, you're awake now..."

The pineapple stared aimlessly at the side of Ichigo's bed for a moment before turning back around and climbing into his bed.

Confusion was quickly replaced by fury as Ichigo watched. "And...?!"

He could see Renji wince at the volume, then turned around to face him. "What do you mean 'and?'?"

"Why the hell am I awake and you're back in bed?" He looked at the red digits of the digital clock. "Don't you have a date to go on?"

Renji smirked. "Nope, but you do... and you're going to be late if you don't hurry..."

The orange head blinked a couple of times before his famous scowl reappeared. "What are you talking about?"

"Rukia caught me last night before I went to bed... well, more like before I went to puke in the bathroom... but anyway, she asked me if it would be okay with me, to switch our date to tomorrow." He then let out a long, lazy yawn. "So technically, it's your's and Ichimaru's date day..."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Why would she do that?"

"Easy..." Renji chuckled and turned so that his back faced Ichigo. "Best for last, my friend. Now, shoo!" His hand had appeared from under the covers to emphasize his last word.

The twenty-three year old stayed in bed for five minutes longer, contemplating. He remembered that she had seen him at his most vulnerable the night before. Half the things he did and said... he wasn't even sure why he had.

Well, in any case... it was rude to keep a girl waiting...

* * *

Ichigo was slowly descending the steps as he saw Rukia wait at the front doors.

His once-over observation registered her white, knee-length sundress with a lavender sash around the waist and bowed perfectly. Her heels matched with her sash and her outfit was complete with the beautiful butterfly necklace that she had worn on the first meeting.

She turned at the sound of his steps.

Her eyes noticed his defined abs, pressing against his red wife beater. His black, short sleeve dress shirt was completely unbuttoned and comfy blue jeans hung around his slim waist. A black and red watch dangled from his left wrist and his black and white sneakers pulled it all together.

Rukia smiled when he finally reached her. "Good morning."

"Mornin'." His hand came up to scratch at his orange locks. "So what are we doing today?"

She turned her back to open the doors and walked out, singing, "You'll—see..."

He reluctantly followed.

Upon reaching the limo, she stopped abruptly and turned to flash him a big grin.

Ichigo's scowl was up in no time. "What?" he asked cautiously.

The limo driver had opened their door and stepped aside as Rukia bent in to retrieve something. When she emerged, she held up a piece of cloth.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Uh..."

Before he knew it, she quickly yanked him down to her level by his collar. She then proceeded to blindfold him with the cloth.

"What are you doing?" He went to take it off, but was slapped by her tiny hand.

"Keep it on! It's a surprise and you're not going to ruin it!" She then dragged him into the limo, accidentally causing him to bump his head off the top of the car, due to his temporary blindness.

Course, he was mumbling curses as she apologized, but it was all good. It was a quiet ride, since it was still a little awkward due to the night before. He didn't quite know what to say.

Ichigo did however, know that he didn't have to say much of anything when he felt some weight fall onto his shoulder.

"Hey, midget..." he whispered.

No answer.

He resisted the small tugging of his mouth. "Stupid..." Her luscious scent drifted up his nose and soon, he followed suit.

The driver looked in his rear view mirror and smiled. His boss was asleep against her date and though her date was blindfolded, he could tell that he was too, considering his head was tilted slightly back.

His gloved hand reached over to the radio and turned it to a different channel. Soon, soft instrumental music floated peacefully throughout the car.

* * *

"Kuchiki-san, Kurosaki-san... we're here." said the driver.

Rukia slowly opened her eyes and stretched out her arms, while Ichigo rolled his neck to unleash the kinks.

They both stepped out of the limo and breathed in the fresh air. It was very sunny and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Ichigo's hand went up to his blindfold, only to be slapped again. "Will you stop that?!"

"Not yet!"

The sounds of paper and plastic rubbing together rung through his ears as he heard her say, "Thanks" to the driver. There was then a strong scent in the air.

She took his hand and started dragging him straight up a hill.

"You're doing this again? I swear if you make me hit something a—

"Oh, quit your whining. It'll be off soon enough."

Fifteen minutes of walking passed and Ichigo felt them come to a stop. He could hear the ruffling of Rukia's dress as she moved behind him and pushed him forward.

"Now... you can take it off..." she whispered.

His hands slowly came up to the knot behind his head and undid it. A large breeze came by and swept the cloth away, revealing his surprise.

What stood in front of him... was a traditional stone monument, with the three most familiar words engraved into it...

"Kurosaki Family Grave..." he softly read.

Ichigo quickly turned around to see Rukia gently smiling at him with a bouquet of flowers in her hands.

He was at a loss of words and as degrading as it may seem, he stuttered, "W-What... is...i-is this w-why you... you changed the—

She nodded before he could finish.

"But...why would you..." he trailed off.

Rukia took a couple of steps forward so that she was only a few inches away from him. "Ichigo... who am I... to keep you away from wanting to visit your mother?" She playfully tilted her head to the side. "Exactly how heartless, do you think I am?"

He just stared at her like she had five heads. He couldn't believe it. She had listened to his pain... comforted him on his weakest day of the year... she had switched the day of their date, just so he could continue his anniversary tradition and even kept it a surprise. Like hell, did he even have the slightest hint!

Her giggling brought him out of his small daze and turned him around to see her on her knees in front of his mother's grave.

She placed the colorful bouquet of flowers on the stand, pressed her hands together, and bowed her head. A small prayer passed through her lips as her eyes were closed in concentration.

Ichigo refuses to admit it out loud, but in the sun... elegantly sitting in front of the grave in her white dress... she looked amazingly angelic.

Soon enough, she was on her feet and turned to give him a smile.

A breeze flew around and hugged him close. One that felt so familiarly warm to him, that he was losing his grasp on reality. His eyes closed for a moment, before reopening and rewarding her with a small one of his own.

She gasped. It wasn't a smirk... it wasn't a tease... it was... a genuine small, but true, smile. So in all honesty... it took her breath away...

Ichigo took a step closer to her and gently said, "Thanks..."

Rukia stared into his chocolaty, amber eyes and slowly found his hand. She then felt herself being pulled onto the tips of her toes by an unnatural force.

He began to bend forward as well, so she wouldn't have to strain so much.

Her mouth was a centimeter away from his ear as she whispered, "You're welcome..." and gave him a small peck to his cheek.

His eyes were half-lidded as his mouth hovered over the outlines of her cheekbone, her nose, then up to her forehead, softly resting at her temple.

Her eyes had closed for his exploration. He smelt heavenly and she enjoyed the moments when his neck would lightly collide with her nose. Her mouth would unintentionally open, giving him small kisses in the process, sending chills down his spine.

Ichigo pulled away and looked down at the still dazed Rukia. His free hand made his way up to push her stubborn bang away from her face and behind her ear. His calloused fingers then rested there, while his thumb grazed her cheek, as he stared at her face. _Mom... I know you're around and watching... I really misjudged this one... didn't I? _

The wind blew around a couple of leaves and pushed him closer to her.

Rukia slowly opened her eyes and met his stare. She felt her face heat up uncontrollably, making him smirk and raise a brow in amusement.

She blinked a couple of times and quickly shot herself a few steps away from him, slightly fuming in embarrassment.

The Kuchiki heiress could hear him lightly snickering behind her, causing her face to boil. She then turned around and crossed her arms. "Stop that!"

Upon seeing her completely red face, he exploded into a full blown laugh.

That only fueled her embarrassment, no matter how cute he sounds. She stomped herself right in front of him and placed her pointer finger to his chest. "I said _stop_ laughing at me!!"

He only uncharacteristically continued.

"Stop!!!" she whined, as she began slamming her fists against his muscular chest.

His laughter finally died down to some simple chuckles and he took her tiny hands into his own large ones. "You know..."

She stopped her struggling and glared at him.

He finally calmed and held his smirk. "I wasn't laughing _at_ you..."

The wind blew in a circle around them, pushing them together encouragingly.

"Well... maybe I was..."

She slapped his chest and his smile grew. "... but... it was just because you were cute..."

Rukia's eyes widened and she felt her face heat up again at his words. "I can't believe you actually gave me a compliment of your own free will..." she mumbled.

"I compliment you of my own will all the time."

Her glare was back. "'Midget', 'shorty', 'shrimp', and 'Rotwood' are not compliments..."

He shrugged. "Sure they are. You just always take them as insults."

"They are not!"

Ichigo laughed softly. "Well you 'compliment' me the same way, so we're even..."

Rukia thought about it for a second. "So... you think I'm cute?"

Ichigo looked away, an embarrassed scowl on his face. "Well... um..." He cleared his throat. "You're not bad..." His moment of sanity was back and couldn't believe he actually said it out loud before. _It's not a good idea to take it back now, either..._

She smiled and closed her eyes. _The him that I met is back..._

Her eyes opened again to see the side of his face. She smirked. "Well, you're not bad yourself, strawberry."

A blush crept onto his cheeks as well and she giggled. He looked adorable with the small amount of pink on his face.

His head jerk back down to her and she smiled up at him. "_Now_, we're even."

He rolled his eyes and then noticed that he still kept his hands over hers, which were lain over his heart. They were so small and soft, he felt. Her sparkling orbs were the most beautiful shade of violet that he had ever seen, especially for eyes.

His gaze then flickered to her pink lips.

She watched him in anticipation. The organ under her palm was beating as hard and fast as hers. She felt his one hand release itself from her imprisoned ones and moved to the small of her back. "Ichigo...?"

His head slowly began to descend as her eyelids did the same.

The breeze was circling around them again, much stronger but very supportive and excited.

Their lips were just a breath away from the other...

"IT'S A MIRACLE!! MY SON'S NOT GAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Their eyes snapped open, showing different emotions in each. One was filled with surprise; the other was filled with horror.

Needless to say, the wind was angry at the interruption as well.

* * *

_Preview for the next chapter_

_"Hitsugaya-san, you have a telephone call." said the orange-haired secretary. _

_He raised his eyebrow. "Who is it?"_

_"They wouldn't say..."_

* * *

**He'ssssssss heeeerrrrreeeeeeee..... Mwahhahahahahahahahahaha!!!!! Clearly, Masaki's not very happy about the timing either ^^.**

**So, I had so much fun writing this chapter! Ya'll got your first major IchiRuki chappie, sure you didn't get an official IchiRuki kiss, but you definitely got a whole lot of fluff! Course, I cried when I wrote Ichigo's past... cried again when I reread it... I'm weak, I know. It didn't seem as bad in my mind, but written down... woo! My imagination went wild, especially poor, small Ichi! But I hope you all liked my "Memories in the Rain" chapter!**

**Thanks for the support everyone! I'm probably going to work on a chapter of "Make My Fantasies Come True" since I've neglected it for my past couple of chapters of this fic, but no worries! I'm doing my best to get the next one up soon.... ish...**

**Well you know the drill and let's beat last chapter's record! Press that button and REVIEWWWWWWW PLEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!**

**Until next time =]**


	11. Episode 10: It's Only the Beginning

**So I went from three weeks, to three months for updates... clearly... life sucks... I'M SORRY!!! I've put a temporary halt to my one-shot collection just so I can focus more on this story!**

**Thank you for all of your reviews and support! I have to admit, they really cheer me up and motivate me so! I get especially excited when I can brighten some people's days with my stories!**

**Well, here ya go! Enjoy!!**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah. We all know...**

* * *

Rukia watched as a man in his late forties came charging up the hill and directly at...

"Ichigo! That man's heading right for—

Before she could finish her warning, Ichigo swiftly brought his leg up and kicked the stranger a few miles back.

"...you..." finished a stunned heiress.

She simply stared at him as he mumbled curses under his breath.

"Crazy, old bastard... always—

"Onii-chan!!" cried a cheerful voice.

Rukia turned just in time to see a young woman with shoulder-length, honey-blonde hair wrap her arms around Ichigo's neck. She giggled as she went on a small rant about her happiness to seeing him.

"Yuzu, if you don't ease up a bit, he might join mom..." said a deeper voice.

Another young woman came into view, though she had short, black hair. She seemed more laid-back and less girlie than the former. She was also right about Ichigo. His face was turning blue from lack-of-oxygen.

The girl named Yuzu, pouted and let him go reluctantly. "I'm sorry, but I just missed Onii-chan so much! I couldn't help myself..."

She then made eye contact with the Kuchiki princess and gave her a polite bow. "My name's Kurosaki Yuzu." Straightening up, she smiled brightly. "Thank you for taking care of my brother!"

Rukia returned the smile and gently nodded her head. "Nice to meet you, Yuzu-chan."

Her eyes glanced over to the more relaxed girl, waiting for her to introduce herself.

Ichigo sighed when she refused to even bother. "She's Karin. They're twins, but they're nothing alike..." He turned his head to the side while mumbling, "Personally, Yuzu's my favorite outta the two..."

Unfortunately for him, her sneaker found his face.

Rukia laughed as the siblings began to argue. That stopped though, the minute she was encased in a big bear hug from behind.

"And you can just call me, daddy!!!!!"

Isshin started swinging her back and forth, expressing his gratitude for the most beautiful daughter-in-law that he could have ever wished for.

"DAD! You moron! Let her go!" cried his son, as he tried to retrieve the flying girl.

Isshin backed away with Rukia in tow. "You see how mean my son is to his father?!" He made a wide-eyed fish face and pointed at Ichigo with his free hand. "Rukia-chan, please teach my barbarian of a son some manners and respect!!"

"Respect _this_, old man!" and a nice dirt nap awaited Isshin.

Course, that didn't stop Ichigo from continuously stomping him into the mud mattress.

Yuzu ran over to clasp Rukia's hands in her own. "Rukia-chan, won't you join us for our traditional Kurosaki family picnic with mom?"

The hopeful look on her face, told the heiress that she wouldn't be able to say no, even if she wanted to.

Her mouth formed a gentle smile as she nodded.

Karin rolled her eyes and warned her with a, "You'll be sorry..."

The three girls looked on as father and son continued to torture each other.

* * *

"Excuse me, if I may interrupt your conversation." a maid said, as she bowed politely.

Urahara and Ashido looked up from their relaxing coffee break as she straightened herself, having their full attention.

"I have finished packing all of your belongings, Kanou-san. I have also received your train ticket and placed it on top of your suitcase. Is there anything else that you might need done, sir?"

Ashido smiled and waved her off with his gratitude.

"Ah..." Urahara sighed as he leaned back into his comfy chair. "My how time flies when you're having fun. Are you going to miss us?"

The maroon-haired man took a sip from his cup with a smirk playing at his lips. "Not a chance."

His current companion mocked hurt and whipped out his fan. "How cold..."

Ashido laughed and directed his gaze out the window. "I'll miss Rukia... but aside from that... all this drama, is just not for me..."

"Ah... yes, yes... the drama..." Urahara appeared to be thinking until he shot a peace sign at the young business owner. "But I _live_ for this stuff!!"

He got up and placed a sandaled foot on the table. A familiar pointing poise was made as he exclaimed, "I'll win for best supporting male in a hit reality show!!"

"Is there even an award like that?" sweatdropped the young man.

Urahara shrugged. "There will be after all my fangirls attack local stations and companies for such an honor!"

Ashido shook his head as they fell into a peaceful silence.

"YOU'RE SUCH A CHEATER!!"

Well... it was a short silence...

The two men turned their heads toward the threshold as Toushirou coolly walked in with two screaming banshees following close behind.

"WHAT SHUUHEI SAID!! THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL THAT YOU COULD'VE WON TEN TIMES IN A ROW WITHOUT CHEATING!!!"

Toushirou barely flinched as he cracked his head to the side and replied smoothly, "Don't blame me for your poor skills in poker."

Shuuhei and Renji continued bickering about ways that he could've cheated, while the prodigy stared on at their stupidity.

Urahara waved his fan at the trio. "Boys, boys... calm down. If you've already forgotten, Hitsugaya-san here is a genius. He wouldn't need to cheat."

Two pair of angry glares shot his way and he was prepared for the outbursts to come.

"HE WON ALL OF OUR COOKIES!!!!"

Urahara and Ashido both blinked a couple of times.

Toushirou rolled his eyes and held out a plastic bag filled to the top with doughy goodness. "If I give them back to you, will you stop following me around? My head's about to explode from your idiocy."

Renji and Shuuhei immediately sat on their knees and brought their arms up like obedient dogs. You could almost see their imaginary tails wagging.

The young prodigy tossed the bag up in the air. He observed as they both jumped and collided in an attempt to catch the cookies.

"Un—be—lievable..." he deadpanned.

Ashido raised his cup to his mouth and returned his gaze out the window. "Yup, definitely won't miss this place..."

Just then, Orihime entered the room.

"Hitsugaya-san, you have a telephone call." said the orange-haired secretary.

He raised his eyebrow. "Who is it?"

She just shrugged. "They wouldn't say..." Her finger was brought up to her lips as she smiled. "They told me it'd surprise you better!"

Toushirou made a face.

* * *

"Yuzu-chan, that was delicious!!" Rukia leaned back on her hands as her smile got wider. "I don't even think my chefs can cook a meal as great as that!"

Karin picked through her teeth with a toothpick and agreed. "That definitely has to be one of your best meals yet, sis."

Ichigo nodded as he finished his last bit of rice.

The young girl modestly smiled and thanked them for their compliments.

Their father immediately stood up and flexed his muscles. "Now that the food has gone down, time to run around to help with digestion!!"

"Stupid old man..." mumbled both Ichigo and Karin.

His face melted as he clung to Rukia, crying, "Do you see how they treat me, Rukia-chan?! My children so hate me!!"

"Get off of her!"

Isshin dodged the punch that his son aimed at him and pulled Rukia along as he ran. "Rukia-chan will run with me! Digest and catch us if you can, son!!"

In a blink of an eye, he had disappeared with Rukia, leaving Ichigo steaming quite a bit.

* * *

The phone was left off the hook to be answered.

"Toushirou here."

A monstrous and demented voice replied. "Hello, Shirou-_chan_... today's lunch special... is a big helping of skewered, law prodi—

"What the hell do you want, Soujirou?"

There was a small pause before the voice continued. "Who is this Soujirou of which you speak?"

A vein popped on Toushirou's head. "'Here lies Kusaka Soujirou, Rest In Peace' is engraved and ready for his funeral if he doesn't tell me what his business is within the next three seconds..."

He could hear the voice clear his throat and before he knew it, a normal voice spoke. "Geez, Shirou-chan! Lighten up!"

"What... do you _want_?" growled a very irritated law student.

"Nothing. Just wanted to see how you were doing."

"That's it?"

"Yup!"

Toushirou looked at the phone as his foolish friend laughed and slammed it on the receiver.

Just when he was about to leave, the phone rang again.

He hesitantly answered it.

"Shirou-chan!!" his friend whined. "Stop being so mean!!"

"Don't call me Shirou-chan! It gives me the chills. Better yet, don't call me at all unless it's something important, you insignificant bumpkin!"

His temper flared at the child-like cries that were coming from the other line and was about ready to hang up again until a soft voice caught his attention.

An eyebrow rose as he held the phone back to his ear and sat on the nearby couch. "Hello?"

* * *

"Kurosaki-san! I think Ichigo gave up!" huffed a tired heiress.

Really. Running up unpaved paths after eating a large meal and being completely bloated, was simply... a bad idea.

Isshin turned his head and searched through the trees. He abruptly stopped when he saw no signs of his son.

Relieved, Rukia yanked her arm from the crazy man and plopped to the ground. She rubbed her shoulder for any evidence of dislocation.

Isshin followed suit and popped a squat right next to her. "Phew! Finally! I thought that boy would _never_ stop!"

An awkward silence fell on them. All that could be heard, was the natural sound of the forest.

He closed his eyes and spoke ever so softly. "Thank you, Rukia-chan."

She warily eyed him, but was polite in her response. "For what?"

His eyes reopened and watched as a couple of birds happily flew by. "That boy has never seemed more human... than he did today..."

The young girl's expression softened as he continued.

"You know, he hasn't smiled like that since Masaki passed away." Isshin turned to her and apologetically nodded his head. "We didn't mean to eavesdrop, but we simply couldn't pass up the chance to see Ichigo with an actual girl."

Rukia blushed, knowing full well that they must have seen them when the couple first arrived at the grave.

He laughed as his attention turned to a family of frogs, hopping across the path. "I can still remember that night... when I arrived at the hospital..."

_Isshin had just gotten the call from the police, dropped Yuzu and Karin off at the Arisawa household, and rushed to the infirmary immediately._

_Upon entering, the building was already in chaos as Ichigo's screams echoed throughout the halls._

_He ran towards the noise and came to a halt when he saw four nurses attempt to restrain his son._

_Tears were pouring down little Ichigo's face as he struggled to return to the room, that he assumed, held Masaki._

_His feet brought him forward as he pushed the nurses away and embraced his hysterical child._

"_Shhh... it's okay, Ichigo... daddy's here..." he soothed._

_The child clutched onto his shirt with one hand and reached out to the door with the other. "Ma-ma..."_

_Isshin crushed his son to his chest. He could feel the tears dripping down his own face from the loss of his wife... the pain that was residing in his son... the downfall of their world..._

"Ichigo had been so traumatized, that he suffered from insomnia for a couple of months." His hand ran itself through his hair. "Every night, I'd hear him toss and turn. He'd scream when he'd wake up and he'd cry when he understood it was real. Some nights, his little sisters would run in to comfort him... other nights, I would sleep by his side... and some nights, I even took them all into my room to sleep..."

Rukia watched as the man's once happy face, fell to nothing but a sad smile.

"He would return to that spot and pace back and forth, waiting for her to return... he avoided carnivals like the plague... and... he threw away the smile that we loved so much... that is..." He turned his head towards her. "Until he met you."

She blushed again as Isshin chuckled.

"He may seem like a brute, but he's actually a very nice boy. Contrary to what most believe, he has a strong sense of justice and can't stand any form of the opposite. That's how many of the people he's helped, stay so loyal to him." He looked up in thought. "Like that kid, Keigo! And Mizuiro! They're on this show, right?"

"_Were_..." she emphasized.

The older man shook his head. "Knew they wouldn't get far..." He let a hardy laugh escape. "Now that I think about it, I'm shocked that Ichigo made this far. Bet he was pestering to go home, right?"

Rukia nodded.

Isshin chuckled again and presented her with a warm smile. "Thank you, Rukia-chan. For not giving up on my idiot of a son."

She couldn't help but to smile back.

"Well!" He was on his feet and stretching in no time. "We better head back before he goes berserk and thought we eloped!"

That damn blush was back. "Kurosaki-san!!"

He began to cry since he was laughing so hard and ruffled her hair. "Kidding! I want you in the family, but not that way."

The young heiress resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his wink and began their journey back to the Kurosaki siblings.

* * *

"Shirou-kun, how are you doing?" said the gentle voice.

Toushirou's aggravation died down as he spoke to her. "I'm fine, Granny. How about you? Is something wrong? Are you okay?"

"Fine, fine. Everything is fine." The elderly woman gave a light chuckle. "I just came a little under the weather and am in Jirou-kun's care at the moment."

"Under the weather?"

"Yes, yes. It's simply nothing, though."

Soujirou could be heard yelling in the background. "She has high blood pressure!!"

"High blood pressure?!"

"Jirou-kun! That was unnecessary information!" his grandmother scolded. "Shirou-kun, trust me, it's nothing. I just missed you is all and now that I've spoken with you, I should be good in no time!"

Toushirou furrowed his brow. "Maybe I should—

"Stop right there, Hitsugaya Toushirou." came her stern voice. "You throw that thought out of your head this instant."

He flinched since the voice brought him back to the time he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. One before dinner wouldn't have killed... besides, he was only five!

"I only wanted to see how my little man was doing, not to ask him to come home for something so simple. It is lowering to normal as we speak." He could practically see her smile. "Stay and find your true love, ne?"

"But—

"For Granny? Shirou-kun?"

Toushirou sighed. As much as he'd like to keep it a secret, he truly was a 'Granny's boy'. "Okay."

"Good boy. Make Granny proud."

She handed the phone to Soujirou. "Make us both proud, Shirou-chan! And don't worry! I'll take care of Granny until you return!"

The white-haired lad closed his eyes and smirked. "You better..."

His friend chuckled. "Later, Shirou."

"Yeah." and the phone met the receiver.

He then relaxed into the couch, leaning his head back and shutting his eyes. _Way to worry me, guys..._

Little did he know, he had an unwanted visitor... who heard the whole thing...

* * *

"Sorry about all of my dad's antics today." the orange-haired man said, as he scratched the back of his head.

Rukia gave a nervous laugh. "It's okay. He was... entertaining?"

"_Entertaining?_" he mocked. "Sounds like you're not sure about him yourself."

She shoved her elbow into his stomach. "Be nice! He's _your_ father after all."

Ichigo rubbed his sore spot. "Tch... rub it in, why don't ya..."

The limo arrived to take the couple back to the mansion, but Rukia stopped Ichigo a couple of feet before he was able to reach it.

"_Now_ what?"

She smiled and pushed herself towards the limo and away from him. "I'm leaving, because I have a date with Gin." Her finger then came out and pointed at him. "You, on the other hand, are staying here with your family until nightfall."

He blinked at the strange girl, clearly not able to take in what she was telling him. "What?"

"Am I speaking in a different language?" she asked sarcastically.

His eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah, midget-anese..."

"Excuse you! I thought you finally grew out of that name calling stage!"

"Well... that was _your_ mistake!"

She stomped up to him and yanked him down by the collar. "Listen hear, you pompous carrot-wannabe! I'm letting you stay here with your family until the sky gets _so_ pitch black, that'll you'll come crying home to me, because an ant crawled up her ridiculously long legs and up your ass!!!!!"

"Hah!" he scoffed as he got right back in her face. "_You're_ the one who's going to come crying to _me_ when your date with Ichimaru goes downhill! It'll be the second he smiles at you since he makes all babies cry!!!"

"You're calling me a baby?!"

"No! I'm insulting your height and your baby face!!"

"BABY FACE?! I do not look like a baby!"

"Of course not! No baby is four foot nothing! That makes you look more like a kid!!"

"A KID?! KUROSAKI, YOU'RE BEGGING FOR A SHINIGAMI, NOW!!"

"THEN SHUT UP AND ACCEPT THAT YOU HAVE A CUTE FACE!!"

"YOU-" Rukia blinked. "You— you..." Her anger slowly turned into curiosity. "You said I was cute again?"

Ichigo straightened his form, crossed his arms, and looked away. "I just wanted you to shut up..." His eyes glanced at her from the corners. "It worked..."

She stared at him. "But... you compared my face to a baby's..."

He redirected his gaze again as a small blush crept onto his cheeks. "And... that was _my_ mistake..."

Rukia raised an eyebrow. _My 'baby' face is cute... Ichigo thinks...baby... face... Ichigo thinks babies are cute?_

She wasn't going to lie, she didn't know many men who openly admitted that they thought babies were cute.

Rukia began to giggle. "Ichigo, what are you? A pedophile?"

His head snapped towards her. "What?!"

She waved her hand, telling him to calm down. "I'm joking..." Her laughter died and she had a large grin for him. "I think that's adorable that you think babies are cute."

He rolled his eyes. "I don't think_ all _babies are cute. Being around a clinic with daily family check-ups just drives you nuts unless you learn to accept the little monsters..."

"So... they grow on you, is what you're saying..." she playfully poked his chest.

Ichigo grabbed her finger and yanked her forward.

Completely caught off guard, she didn't know what to do when she felt his warm lips on her own.

He smirked as he felt her freeze and took the chance to wrap his other arm around her waist, bringing her closer.

It took her a couple of more seconds to register that his lips were being playful and that she wanted to play with them too. Her mouth slightly opened to take his bottom lip in and gently sucked on it. She made sure her hands had a firm grip on something. One held his shirt, while the other held his hand to her sternum.

The thumb that was attached to her hand, began softly stroking her small fingers as he deepened the kiss with his tongue.

A small moan escaped her throat before she even realized and with that, he broke apart.

Her slightly dazed state brought him satisfaction as he released her and turned around.

His back was towards her as he waved his hand in the air. "See ya back at the house, shortcake."

Rukia blinked a couple of times before she felt her face heat up considerably. She shook her head to try to get rid of the initial shock, but things just weren't that easy.

"Stupid strawberry..." she mumbled as she got into the limo, but the smile on her face said otherwise.

* * *

Gin happily hummed a tune as he continued to prepare himself for his date. She had said that it was going to be a casual outing, so he just decided on jeans and a half-buttoned, striped dress shirt.

He paused his merry song when he felt a presence behind him.

Turning around, he smiled at his roommate. "What's up, Grimmy?"

Grimmjow winced at the name and moved to sit on his bottom bunk. "Sorry to disturb your... musical dressing performance..." He grinned. "But I have some news that could... help... Rukia decide on who to get rid of next."

Gin's smile wickedly widened. "Do tell..."

* * *

_Preview for the next chapter_

_"Hmm... that's quite an interesting development..."_

_Grimmjow smirked. "And we can definitely use it to our advantage." _

_"Indeed, my friend..." chuckled the fox._

* * *

**Uh oh! Watch out my little Captain, cuz they're coming for ya!! Or I might save you and have you end up with Rukia 33 I loved my little Shirou-chan in this one!! And let's face it, we all know that Ichigo has a soft spot for kids, _including_ babies ^^**

**So really everyone, thank you so much for all of your support! Every review brings a smile to my face and believe it or not, one review can make a difference. Each one brings me strength to keep them coming and it makes me happy to know that I can cheer people up, who've had a bad day. We all have them, and your reviews cheer me up from my miserable days. So thank you so much for all of your love and motivational support!**

**Well, that'll do for this chapter. Press that button and REVIEWWWWWWWW PLEEEEEAAAAASSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Until next time =]**


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